How the hell did I get here?

Well not literally… I did go to school and learn about the “Birds and the Bees” you know.

How did I get to this point in my life especially in business? I started my first business at the age of 16 building computers and a few years afterwards dropped out of University to pursue that business which failed in the end. As I write to you today, I’ve founded a number of different startups of which many have also failed.

Given all the years I’ve been at this, why am I not the founder of Amazon or Tesla Motors? Easy answer… because.

I’m a great believer of absolutely everything happening for a reason. Maybe that’s my way of justifying that I should be further along in my journey than I currently am (whatever further is meant to be)! Who knows… In any case, if we go with the first option for now then me writing to you here is exactly where I’m meant to be you poor b*******.

I’m very lucky, grateful and pretty proud of that actually, because given my past, things could have turned out very, very different. For some reason, they didn’t so now you poor folk have to endure my writing.

The real reason I’m where I am

It’s simple. I’ve made lots of mistakes and here are a few of my greatest:

• Not listening to wiser people in my life because I was too stubborn
• Too close to the action and too busy dreaming to see things falling apart
• Hiring the wrong people and partnering up with even worse people
• Re-inventing the wheel when everyone didn’t want another wheel
• Listening to all the positive feedback but not searching for the negative feedback
• Not looking after myself physically or mentally

There’s a load more too but I can’t bore you with them all. Many of these mistakes have cost me a lot both financially and in other ways and frankly, serves me right. I made the mistakes and I had to pay. Here’s the thing though. We all make mistakes and if you haven’t made any yet then you’re lying. Making mistakes is not the problem, as long as you don’t keep making them. So with a few startup failures and other life cockups does this make me a repeat offender? I’ll let you decide.

All I know is that there is not one part of my past that I’m not hugely grateful for because all the adversity I’ve experienced, whether self inflicted or matters out of my control, it’s what has made me who I am and I’m absolutely fine with that. Writing that down in black and white is so liberating.

So why does this all matter?

Well it’s hugely important to anyone who is trying to achieve anything, getting fit, building a startup or learning something new. No matter how large or small the task there will be problems and mistakes, and probably lots of them! Building or learning anything worth talking about will always have problems and some will be hard to fix but you have to trust the process. No matter how long, how hard or how close it comes to breaking you just trust the process and don’t be scared of the mistakes. It’s what I kept telling myself years ago and it kept me going and it’s what I’m telling myself now as I write on Medium!!

Recently so many things have happened that have shown why the last 5 or so years went the way they did. They are things I will continue to write about because I do enjoy writing and it will be nice to have somewhere to reflect as my own journey continues. If you’ve made a mistake recently then admit it, talk about it and just trust the process. It will all work out in the end…