My Least Favorite Word

Use This Catalyst to Transform You

I have a bone to pick with the "F" word.

And no, it’s not the one you’re thinking of. This specific “F” word might just be my least favorite word in the dictionary. But here’s the thing: it’s also the word that has shaped more success stories than anything else has.

Let me start by asking you something: Have you ever screwed up so badly that you wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear? I’m talking about those moments when you wish you could hit rewind and take it all back. Yeah, I’ve been there, too. But here’s the kicker- those moments, the ones that make you cringe when you think back on them, they’re not setbacks. They’re launching pads.

That brings me to the "F" word I want to talk about today.... FAILURE.

You see, failure shakes things up. It forces you to confront your weaknesses, rethink your strategy, and push beyond your comfort zone. It’s an uncomfortable nudge we all need sometimes.

Take this one time for example- I lost $30,000 trying to book Usher for an event that never even happened. Yep, $30K gone, just like that. At that moment, it felt like the ground had vanished beneath me. But that colossal misstep - it propelled me into a new realm of understanding. It sparked a drive to tighten my game, restrategize my approach, and learn the intricacies of contracts. It built a resilience I didn’t even know I had in me.

So yeah, when I talk about failure, I’m not talking about the sugar-coated, "everything happens for a reason" kind of failure. I’m talking about the gut-wrenching, "I just lost $30,000 on a deal gone south" kind of failure. The kind that stings deep and leaves a heavy mark. The kind that leaves you wondering if you should just throw in the towel and walk away. But the truth is, those moments? They’re essential. They’re part of the process.

As a society, we hate to fail. We’re quick to point out failures- whether they’re our own or someone else’s. It’s almost like we’ve been trained to avoid it at all costs. But honestly, I think we’ve been looking at it all wrong. We’ve been mislabeling these moments.

My perspective? Failure is growth. It's a constant stream of learning.

Failure isn’t a dead-end street. It’s a detour- and a necessary one at that. It’s feedback, not a final verdict on your worth or abilities. It’s life’s way of saying, "Not this way, try another."

So, instead of calling it failure, why don’t we call it what it really is? A catalyst.

Think of those tough moments as the spark that lights the fire under you. It’s the catalyst that pushes you from where you are to where you need to be. Without that spark, you might just hang out in mediocrity forever.

So, don't just endure it. Embrace it. Use it to your advantage. Every time you stumble, see it as an opportunity to learn, adapt, and come back stronger. Because here’s the thing: success isn’t about avoiding failure; it’s about how you respond to it.

Let failure be the catalyst that transforms you. Turn those setbacks into a comeback.

G aka "The Growth Guru”