In my teens, I had just one burning desire.
One thing I craved more than anything: 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲.
Why?
The military excellence, the adventurous life, and above all—the Brotherhood for Life.
It wasn’t just appealing to me, it became 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
I read every book about special forces, tactics, and their missions. I worked out relentlessly.
It was my everything.
So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I got accepted in 1997.
Yes! Not only would I become a Marine, but after completing a year-long course, I’d be an 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.
But then, from day one, everything started to go wrong.
Remember 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁? That was me. Clueless. Lost.
The dream I had been chasing was turning into a nightmare..
The sheer volume of new things to learn—military basics, leadership, constant physical exertion, and mental stress from the drill instructors—it all hit me like a freight train.
I could barely keep up.
Somehow, I managed to last 17 weeks, but then came the Corporal’s exam.
I failed at map reading. But honestly? It could’ve been anything at that point.
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗠𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱.
And with that, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life. I felt completely lost.
But here’s what I learned from that failure:
𝟭. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽.
I was clearly falling behind, but instead of reaching out, I let stubbornness, or maybe just cluelessness stop me from asking for help.
Big mistake.
But here’s the truth I keep learning (also as an entrepreneur): you don’t have to go it alone. People want to help you, and sometimes, they’re the key to breaking through obstacles you can’t get past on your own.
You just have to swallow your pride, be willing to accept help, and simply ask.
𝟮. 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁.
Quitting my dream? Never an option. By pushing through, even when it felt like I was failing, I gained valuable lessons and grew stronger from the experience.
𝟯. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆.
This is where I turn to one of my favorite quotes from Napoleon Hill:
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵.”
Failing to become a Marine Officer felt like the end of my world at the time, but…
A few years later, I became a Special Forces Officer—something even greater (and more in line with my true self) than I had imagined.
It’s hard to see it in the moment, but remember, failure isn’t the end.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.
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Have you ever experienced a failure that led to an even greater success? I’d love to hear your story!
I horribly failed The Marines. This I learned:….
