I failed.
Hear me out.
For the longest time, I’ve been compelled to do things that made others happy.
For the longest time, I’ve felt that my goal was to mask who I am to make others accept me.
Weird and somewhat sad, I know.
My upbringing was difficult, and when both of my parents passed away tragically, a (very large) piece of me died inside forever.
The reality is, time does not heal all wounds.
Instead, with passing time comes the ability to see hope and promise. You just tend to see a little more light day by day, maybe drink a little less day by day, and maybe see some hope day by day.
But you never forget.
This was the case for me.
It took me many years before I came out of the dark, where I realized I could still live a full life and be happy.
It’s now been close to 3 years since I quit my corporate finance career. Sure, perhaps I could have been a Director, VP, perhaps even a CFO at this point.
But it wouldn’t have changed the fact that the politics, bureaucracy and back-stabbing would always be there.
And that’s what I hated most.
These past 3 years has been such a refreshing experience being out on my own and becoming a Founder.
It’s allowed me to see a bigger world out there, meet some incredibly inspiring people and achieve new realizations about myself (I know what SEO is…what?)
This is where I feel like I’ve succeeded.
I’ve taken a giant leap towards the unknown and have made an honest attempt to realize my dreams without compromising my value (key one being, don’t be an asshole to people).
Because of this, I’m realizing that failure is just that – a term.
We can only fail if we deem it as such.
It can be tempting to feel like a failure, especially given the widespread use of social media these days. Every day it seems like millionaires and successful people are popping out of nowhere.
But the reality is this – the average person can still succeed in their own ways.
And we should celebrate that.
Finally, I wanted to share I’m working on an exciting project that may be one of the most important projects I’ve ever worked on.
I’m working on a community-based newsletter to celebrate every day people. I hate the way society has shaped the world into thinking that unless you’re making it “rain” (money), you haven’t made it.
This sucks.
So I plan to change that. I hope to see a world where we truly can help each other out, make each other happy, not manipulate others for our own self-benefit and can celebrate our (big or small) wins.
That’s the world I want to live in.
Be on the lookout as I’ll announce it in the next few weeks (or even days).
Anyways, before I forget, I hope you’re doing well. These are scary times with Covid, and it’s completely changed the landscape of the world.
Nevertheless, stay safe, stay healthy, and most importantly, stay happy.
Till next time!