Hey friends,
I was at dinner with a friend over the weekend, and we spoke about success.
From the outside, whether it’s on social media, a CV or a LinkedIn profile, success almost always seems linear. But in reality, it never is.
And I’m guilty of this, too.
The airbrushed version, without blackheads or blemishes, may be what you see online, but the truth is far less glamorous.
The many setbacks, rejections and mistakes that aren’t published on social media - still exist.
In fact, they’re vital.
Failing fast and often will always be the prerequisite to success.
So, here’s a few of my own…
Heer’s Failures (to date)
In 2012, I applied to study Medicine in the UK. By March of the following year, I’d received rejections from three of my four university choices, including my top choice at the time, Imperial College London.
In 2020, I co-founded the medical education company – MedAhead. Our first year was great. We held a successful summer school, taught 30+ students and made a small profit. But in the second year, things changed. Stretched work schedules, an ongoing pandemic and disagreements led to slow sales and a £5k deficit. We pulled the plug on the business weeks before our next planned summer school.
In 2023, I abruptly left my hospital job as a doctor. I burnt bridges with my supervisor, whose role was to support me, and left the job on bad terms. Unsurprisingly, he did not attend my exit interview and has not replied to my request for references in over a year.
Since graduating in 2019, I’ve applied to dozens of jobs. My current failure rate is >90%, and yes, every rejection stings. I now have a Notion page dedicated solely to rejections. It reminds me of all the paths that weren’t for me.
But my failures aren’t constrained to my professional life.
Over the years, I’ve lost friendships and often have not been the best partner, brother, or son. I’ve struggled with my weight, sleep, mental health and broken commitments to those close to me.
So, one thing seems obvious. Mistakes and failures will happen. It’s really about what you do next.
Sometimes, things don’t work out, and there’s no reason. But often, the result is a mixture of things within and outside your control.
Never Make the Same Mistake Twice
Each job rejection builds my knowledge and understanding. Whether it’s a tricky task, an abstract question, or a problematic interview, the constant learning puts me in a better position for next time.
Similarly, I’ve been writing a weekly reflection over the last few years.
Each Sunday, I bullet point the week’s wins, mistakes, and any lessons learned. This practice has helped me spot trends in my behaviour and avoid building harmful habits.
And I try to remind myself: A mistake made once is a powerful learning tool.
Reframe Your Failures
But beyond simply not making the same mistake twice, our failures and setbacks teach us more comprehensive skills.
Building MedAhead taught me how to market and sell a product online. It taught me about corporate taxes and how to raise money. Similarly, my string of university rejections taught me firsthand about risk tolerance and the importance of planning for the worst.
Simply trying something new deserves credit, not everyone can do it.
Build Resilience
Failures are disheartening. It’s hard to see everyone else thrive when you’re facing a series of roadblocks and a strong headwind.
Companies that are averse to failure typically die out. The ones that stay embrace failure. They continue to innovate and challenge the status quo. Think of any famous company and you can probably name an equivalent failure.
You must do the same.
Trust the process, with each door that closes a new one always opens, you just have to keep going.
So, here’s to another year of successes embedded within countless failures.
And remember, don’t believe everything you see on social media; we are all just trying to work it out.
Heer ✌🏼