2016 Failure

I always end the year by writing about my accomplishments, failure, regrets and resolutions. This post is all about my biggest 2016 failure, which is funny because I started a company to help teams beat failure.

People might think I don’t like to fail, and that’s just not true. In fact, I believe that it’s essential for personal development and growth. What I hate is the way in which most people fail. It’s so boring and mediocre.

No, really, tell me about how much you hate your in-laws. While you’re at it, tell me how you hate your job, and how you’re looking for a new one. No, it’s not you. It’s your boss.

But as I look back at 2016, I can see that my biggest failures were predictable and based on a single theme: I can’t delay gratification. I tried to stop drinking, this year, but failed because I haven’t found any other device besides champagne to soothe my soul. I also decided to start running long distances, again, but I can’t commit to the middle-of-the-week workouts to build up my endurance.

I don’t like to suffer at all, dammit. In avoiding suffering, I suffer more. And I suffer in an ordinary way.

So my biggest failure in 2016 is picking the certainty of today instead of the possibilities of tomorrow. It’s a stupid way to live, and I hope to work on this in 2017.