Email is like social media in that it typically acts as a highlight reel, glossing over one’s failures, the shit-soaked end of the stick, and all the fuckity fuck fuck problems.

Thing is, you and I don’t learn jack from our successes. As humans, we learn best from our failures, facing the things we suck at, and by accepting our own shortcomings.

To that, with some prompting from Alicia, today I’m going to share four of my recent and ongoing failures.

One part for my own edification, and one part to remind you that no matter how well it may seem someone has their shit together, things *probably* look different behind the scenes.

Without further ah-dew, I’ve failed and/or am failing at…

1. The Sorcerers Guild launch

To some extent, I view the Sorcerers Guild launch as a failure. As I described to a few friends after the launch, “it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, but as well as I’d expected.”

Looking back, I could have put more effort into list-building, spent more time considering the angle for the sales letter, and the list goes on.

But I didn’t, and so I have little choice but to take what by all accounts WAS a success in many ways, and build on it.


2. My mental health

Between not having taken a proper break from work in nearly three years, letting most of the “fun” fall out of my life, taking on utterly foreign (to me) levels of responsibility, and channeling my admittedly waning ability to focus into increasingly more creative efforts, I’m seeing cracks spread in my armour.

It’s easy to offer sound advice to avoid mentally frying and castrating yourself…it’s a whole other thing to actually listen to yourself and act on it.


3. Skill acquisition and development

Building an online business has meant learning a host of new skills along the way, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s how I learn.

Show me something once, and I’ll emulate it, often missing the mark 2-4 times. Then I’ll “get it.”

Moving forward I’ll *probably* forget a fundamental step once or twice, which I’ll need to be shown again by someone smarter than I.

After that? I’m good to go. Rarely do I make the same mistake twice.

As a rule I pick things up quickly, which is a gift I’ve been squandering.

There are things I’ve wanted to learn and become better at for years, but due to moving frequently, travelling, being work-centric, and simply not making an effort to, I haven’t made any headway with improving my Spanish, learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or boxing), or expanding my cooking skills.


4. Reading

Growing up, I was a voracious reader to the point where I was my school librarian’s favourite student. I’d read entire Harry Potter books in one afternoon (okay, and I’d huddle under my blankets until the wee hours of the morning so I could polish off the last ten chapters).

These days about all I manage is a hasty few pages before bed. For something that has directly impacted my writing in immeasurable ways and brings me much joy, this is unacceptable.


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Now, there is a point to sharing all this with you.

For those of you already inside the Sorcerers Guild, and those on the fence, I’m sharing this to show that I’m not leading y’all from my comfortable mountaintop throne.

I’m leading y’all by blazing a trail, and helping light the path for you.

As I figure out how to “fix” my failures, you best believe I’ll be sharing my methods, the results, and any insights with you.

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Yours sorcerously,

Alexander Mullan