Well, the first thing of everything you do is garbage.

At least that’s how Ernest Hemingway put it when he said the first draft of anything is sh*t.

I get it. He was primarily referencing authors who have to do dozens, if not hundreds of revisions before coming up with a final draft. But I believe his ideology stretches a little farther than that.

Almost everyones first try in something tends to be sh*t. Whether it’s your first job, your first businesses, your first speech—I’ve been there—or your first relationship, life is all about messing up the first time.

Looking back, I think we can all safely say it turned out to be a learning experience. And for some, it was the foundation to their come-up story.

Here’s a list for you:

Walt Disney - His first animation company Laugh-O-Gram Film’s went bankrupt in just over a year.

Reed Hastings - His first startup Pure Software was a flop before he went on to create Netflix.

Albert Einstein - Failed his entrance exam into Polytechnic School.

Stephen King - His first book was rejected over 30 times and even went as far as throwing it in the trash only to be saved by his wife.

Michael Jordan - Was cut from his high school varsity basketball team.

Jerry Seinfeld - Froze and got booed off stage in his first stand-up performance.

Jan Koum - Applied to work at Facebook and got rejected. Then later sold his startup WhatsApp to Facebook for $19 billion.

Colleen Hoover - Was forced to self-publish her first book Slammed after realizing no one wanted to represent her.

Tom Brady - Was drafted 199th overall in the NFL and was considered “too slow” and “unathletic.”

As fun as these are to list, I think I’ll leave it there.

What I’m getting at is, that anything worthwhile is worth failing a few times. Hell, it’s worth failing at least on your first try. And when you do, remember it’s part of the process. Not because you’re destined to do something else.

Take it from some of the most successful people in the world. Learn to take those failures and use it as part of your come-up story. So cut yourself some slack and don’t be afraid to fail on your first or thirtieth try.

Because trust me, you’re not alone.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m now reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. A book on the formulas behind successful people and the environmental factors that led them to where they are today.

Quote Of The Week - “A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — James N. Watkins