I am what some may call a failure. I’m unemployed, with two kids, in debt, and no business to my name. That is my life right now.
This post is not a feel-good or a how-to guide to making money.
It’s for my fellow failures, those who are still trying to figure out how to get it right, who haven’t found the algorithm yet. As long as we’re failing, I believe it’s best we do it together. It makes the landing a little easier.
The new year has begun, and I’m sure we’re all thinking about how old we’re turning this year. For some of us, it will be a difficult transition.
Last year, I had only one plan. I started being a one-resolution person in 2018 when I found that long lists of things didn’t benefit me. A single thing seemed easy to do. However, I didn’t achieve that goal.
I wanted to be financially stable and have a steady stream of income. But then I learned that even being financially stable isn’t necessarily good. Financial independence should be my ultimate goal.
I didn’t achieve that, so I postponed it until this year.
Last year wasn’t bad or good, but compared to where I am now, which is much worse, last year seems better, and I regret not enjoying the problems I had then. Those problems pale in comparison to my current ones.
I’ve heard the saying that “man plans but God decides or executes.” Well, He hasn’t been executing my plans. He’s using another list. A list I didn’t write. And it seems our communication lines are distorting my messages. I’m not sure, but you know how we like to rationalize these things: “it’s all for the best, in His time,” and all that. Lately, that hasn’t seemed magical.
Well, in my failure, I think it’s time I stop making plans and resolutions and start tracking my life.
This is it, this year. I’m going to track my life. Either I’m doing something wrong, or the gods have decided to punish me. I need facts.
And now that we’re failing together, I’d like you to join me in this tracking exercise. We’ll do a daily track, then a weekly and monthly one. We’ll keep track of the decisions we make daily and see where the road takes us.
Hopefully, we’ll learn from failure and all that.
It’s time to let go of the past and focus on the present. “What I Did Today” that’s what we’ll keep track of. This simple accountability will help us stay present and reflect on our actions.
We’ll grade ourselves based on what we believe is good or bad for us.
We’ll take a hard look at ourselves, see what we’ve done, and put whatever we find relevant on the list.
To start this process, I’ll kick things off with my first list:
What I Did Today, January 5th, 2023:
Physical:
- I went to the hospital — Good
- I ate a balanced diet — Good
Mental:
- I talked to someone about my troubles — Good
- Prayed — Good
Financial:
- Borrowed money — Good and bad
Career/Brand Wise:
- Wrote tomorrow’s topic — Good
- I wrote this post — Good
- I submitted my article to a Medium publication and got it accepted and published — Good
Remember, this is not about making drastic changes or manifesting outcomes. It is simply about tracking and staying accountable.
So, let’s start this journey together and see where it takes us.
