Day 14 — It took me 39 years to be an overnight success (My CV of Failures)
I’m working on a CV system to empower people to face their failures.
Mainly we tend to believe we have to brag about the top things we “have achieved” in life, but what about our failures? what about if we change the order, what about if we do things different.
Today is a great for Goanna Social (my little company). Today Goanna closed it’s first 5 figure deal… and I’m truly excited.
So to understand my success, let’s talk about failures shall we…?
Here is my CV of failures. ~~ enjoy!!
BORN
Barely made it at birth
At 7
Alcoholic Father leaves me and my sister & mother, before trying to kidnap me and take me out of the country. (nice huh?)
At 9
Got sexually harassed by Boy Scouts leader. (not cool!)
Start suffering of sleep disorders ~ I still do.
At 12
I barely survive (barely) meningitis . (ouch!)
At 13.
Car Crash against a Semi-trailer. Destroys my mother face, and it ends up affecting me for my entire life. (I’m still scared of being in a fast car)
At 15
Got Kicked out School #1 (I was an asshole really)
Got kicked out of home for 10months. (I deserved it)
At 16.
Got kicked out of school # 2 (I was even worse that time)
Run away from home .
At 18.
I’m sent to the Colombian army by my mother (keen to get rid of me) -
I saw some horrible stuff during the army. (think Narcos x 100)
At 19..
Kicked out of University
Arrested in Bogota Colombia.~~ not a cool story ~~ (100% my fault)
Sent to a mental hospital for a brief time by my mother ~~ not a cool story either~~
At 20
Join and quit (MEGA fail) university in France. (I regret that)
I tried to kill myself with rat poison but I chickened out at the end. (I like Oreos just too much)
At 21
I Became backpacker in the Middle East without a VISA
I starve in the Middle East for a few good months. (had to swap work for food in weird little restaurants in Jerusalem). Lost 20 kilos and ended up with a severe eye infection that still affects me sometimes
End up with no money in Luxor — Egypt. Have to beg to collect money and leave the country
Became homeless in Paris. (I still love Paris)
At 22
… I became a waiter in Dublin Ireland … spend nights in the restaurant sofa so I could work longer shifts while busking on Grafton Street. I was a clown selling balloons… (NICE!!!)
I decided to become a full time writer in Spain. I entered 72 writing competitions, fail them all. Never end up winning anything.
I wrote my first novel. Got rejected by 30 publishers in Colombia and Spain.
At 23
Launched my first business with 10.000 euros. I went broke in 10 months.
At 24.
Join a startup venture in Bilbao Spain. Got funded. Raised capital. Fake the business plan. Failed 18 months later. Lost all over $150.000 ~~ not fun ~~
At 25
Lost it all in Italy ~ went broke (Not fun) … but got drunk a lot! So it was actually not so bad!
At 26
Move to Amsterdam , apply for a job at Microsoft, got fired 2 days later. (bastards!)
Got anew job, got fired… move to Egypt to become scuba diving instructor… without knowing how to swim properly. Almost died. I became the best bloody diver ever.
At 28
I moved to Australia ~ I couldn’t get a real job. I Became a swimming instructor ~~ I still can’t swim properly. I was expecting a child and I had ZERO in my bank account
At 30.
Debt was killing me. I couldn’t get a decent job and I didn’t spend enough time my new born. I’m always underwater.
At 32
I had close encounter with a Mako shark while scuba diving. It was so close the encounter, I became scared of sharks. → Terrified!
Wink wink: you can’t be a professional diver scared of Sharks.
At 33.
I started to realise ~~ slowly but surely ~~ that I wasn’t the nicest guy ever, I wasn’t the best husband, or the best father I could be… I wasn’t happy with my life. I was a grumpy asshole and overall a miserable individual.
at 34
Scuba Diving Again: I almost drowned while scuba diving with some students ~~ horrible day, we ran out of air, panic took over, storm, mega waves ~~ after 1200 dives and over 200 students certified .. I quit scuba diving professionally after that incident. I became depressed.
At 35.
My business collapsed. I lost all my clients~~ Like a champ!
I got Separated ~ I cried a lot.
At 36.
I launched 3 new online projects. Fail on all of them
Got Depressed. Lost all my clients (again!)
Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to try to find a meaning to life. Cried all the way down. I didn’t find a meaning to life. → But it was fun.
At 37.
My stress destroyed my gallbladder . Almost died in a remote island. Got Divorce. Lost tons of money. Gallbladder removal. (ouch!)
Walked the Sant James Path (Camino de Santiago) , 340 km, trying to find a meaning to Life. C I didn’t find a meaning to life.
So as you can see, it takes just 39 new year (almost 40) to be an overnight success.
Now that I’m 39
I still fail. I have always failed… I still cry… I laugh a lot… life is great, in fact Life has always been great…. even when I was failing.
I’m in love with my life. I have 3 amazing Kids. I believe in myself. I believe in helping people. Every day I empower myself and I finally learned that failure is vital to become an overnight success. No regrets. Zero Excuses. I don’t have awards in the Wall and no Ferrari and I bet this list of failures will only get larger and more extensive along the way.
And that is okay.
Day #14 Stats Goanna Social
Day #14 Hours worked: 10
Overal Hours worked: 90
Funds: $19055.25 AUD
Spent : $300 (Staff)
New deal closed: $10000 project!!!!!!
Income :
$7500 paid!
($2300 USD invoiced)
Phone calls: 3
Emails sent: 2
FB / Lead generation interaction: 0
Active Leads: 5
Proposals sent: 5
Feeling: Proud
78 days to go.
