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Together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

Happy Monday! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions in today’s newsletter.

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Here's what's in today's email

• The Power of Sharing Your Failures

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

The Power of Sharing Your Failures

We scream our achievements from the tops of the rooftops (after all, isn’t that one of the main reasons for social media?) We update job changes, share birth announcements, major milestones, and anything else we are proud of. Of course, there is nothing wrong with sharing these things; you earned them, you deserve to celebrate them, especially if you‘ve been on a long journey to pursue your Great Things.

The most inspirational stories come from the people who were told no by others or circumstances, until they persisted. In the same vein, we can also be open, maybe not as open, about the things that we’re trying to achieve. Our goals, our Great Things, our greatest desires. 

Finding the support of our community allows us to push forward, and it helps open doors. It’s like the saying, “You don’t know until you ask”, or the even more famous one, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” They all rely on putting yourself out there and being open. Sometimes, it’s a hard thing to do; we are afraid of what others will think or what it will look like when we fail. 

Did you even fail if no one else knows it? If a goal isn’t reached in a forest and no one’s around, is it considered a failure? 

But what about our failures, our missteps, or other lack of successes? How do we face those?

For many of us, including myself, failure is hard to admit. It means that the time and effort I put into something amounted to nothing. It means that I have to admit I was wrong, and let me tell you, I don’t like that. If I don’t say anything, I can just wrestle with the failure on my own, and I stay the same in everyone’s eyes.

But my recent failure didn’t just impact me; it brought a whole group of people along for the ride (shoutout to those I’m talking about, you know who you are). So I chose to be honest about it and my involvement. Instead of dragging on the inevitable, I realized I had to name it.

What I got in return was an outpouring of love and support that allowed me to reframe my thinking. It made me wonder how things would have been received if I had chosen to prolong things or hide the truth. How many times have you looked for admittance from someone, and instead been given excuses or reasons that minimize the failure?

Personal, professional, political, you name it. It gets frustrating when someone can’t name it.

Now let’s be crystal clear, I am not saying I figured it out. This isn’t advice or a reason why you should look to me; it’s a personal experience where I had one moment of clarity. After all, can we go back to the part where I failed? No matter whether I admitted it or not, I still didn’t get something done, and I am not someone who can easily admit defeat or that I am wrong… just ask my loved ones around me. 

But speaking my lack of success into the world felt like a sigh of relief, like finally being able to get enough air.

It reminded me that I don’t have to be perfect. No one is. But it’s easy to forget that.

We rank our failures on a hierarchy and compare them just like our successes. Knowing that someone else didn’t measure up makes us feel good in a way, because if they didn’t do it, then we don’t feel so bad about not doing it either, or even attempting to. Even if no one else knew it was something we wanted to begin with.

It can be easy to find ourselves in a situation where we’re trying to hide our failures while we carefully listen for the failures of others. We take comfort in knowing that others are just as flawed as we are, and it’s almost like a blanket that keeps us warm at night.

The danger here is that while comparison gives us comfort, it doesn’t allow us to fully realize and accept where we need to improve. We are too busy hiding to grow. It is harder to grow in the dark than out in the open with the sun on our faces.

It’s like when you tell a lie and struggle to get your story straight. You’re energy goes to protecting that lie, not to accepting the truth and the consequences that come with it. It’s the same thing with failures, missteps, and any other kind of lack of success. If you don’t admit it, you can’t learn from it.

Now, I can admit that I didn’t fail. I certainly didn’t achieve what I set out to do, but instead I learned more about myself and the others around me than I would have otherwise. I don’t feel great, I don’t think anyone would, but I feel grateful to have had a teaching moment presented to me. 

So let’s take a moment to celebrate the things we’ve learned in our lives. We’re all just trying to do the best that we can.

Moments with Maurice

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

Admitting It Wasn’t Enough

I now firmly believe failures are the lessons we need to grow even further. But we can’t do it alone.

Now, I’m realizing I need to take stock regularly to make sure I’m on the right path.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

Sometimes You Just Have To Show Up

This week I was in Boston to visit the Good Sports HQ and help pack some gear. I’ve been partnering with Good Sports and am constantly reminded of the importance of their mission. Their warehouse is a testament to how others feel about the mission as well as it’s one of the rare places where you will see competing brands next to each other. It’s all for the kids and people put aside competition to do some good.

My visit to the HQ was a reminder that giving can look very different and comes in many ways. It’s important to find a way to give that’s authentic to you and support a cause you find important.

That “AHHHH” Feeling

Okay hear me out, I know this is just a photo of a hotel bed, but it encompasses one of those feelings I think we can all relate to. No matter how long your trip was, there is a special feeling of ditching the travel clothes for something clean and diving into a hotel bed. Is it just me, or is it a scientific fact that hotel beds will always be the exact degree of coolness that you need?

Other Things Making Me Smile

We got together to celebrate our friend Andrew in his first movie. Pretty cool when the people you know achieve their Great Things. If you watch it, let me know if you see him 😀 

Shockingly, I walked away with only one car picture to share this weekend. A blue BMW E9 Coupe. Guess i’ll have to wait until next week for the new section name 😉 

Remember:

-Adrian