Why Failure Might Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You
I’ve never been the most talented person in the room.
Not in sports. Not in business. Not in school.
But I’ve always had one thing: hunger. The kind of hunger that drives you to wake up earlier, stay later, and push through pain. The kind of hunger that doesn’t care if you look foolish trying—as long as you’re moving forward.
This week I’ve been reading Never Play it Safe by Chase Jarvis. He reminded me of something I’ve come to know deeply:
“It’s not how quickly you fail—but how quickly you recover with a new, demonstrably different attempt at the solution—that matters most.”
Here’s the truth most people avoid: failure is the only path to mastery. Without failure, there is no refinement. No wisdom. No grit.
And grit—the commitment to keep showing up—is a core virtue of The Steady Leader.
In my life, failure taught me more than any success ever did. Each miss was a chance to reflect, recalibrate, and relaunch.
I wasn’t the best athlete, but I outlasted others.
I wasn’t the smartest soldier, but I was the most dependable.
And I wasn’t the most polished entrepreneur, but I kept showing up. I still do.
Larry Bird once said:
“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”
Hard work, paired with self-reflection and a quick recovery from setbacks, is the recipe for growth.
If you're navigating a setback right now, let me encourage you:
Don't let it define you.
Don’t just bounce back—bounce forward.
Do the after-action review, refine your approach, and go again.
That’s how Steady Leaders are made.
Stay steady. Keep showing up.
God Bless,
Schuyler
Written by Schuyler Williamson
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God Bless!
~ Schuyler Williamson