It’s common for people to start out their lives believing what will happen to them, and more importantly what they are capable of, is outside of their individual control. This fatalistic view of life leads to self-victimization. This paralyzing paradigm relies on luck and so much to go in a person’s favor that it becomes […]
A friend recently asked me what people get from reading my writing. I had to ponder this. I started listening to the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie shortly after hearing that question. In the early chapters of the book, Carnegie spends quite a bit of time talking about message. He […]
In these waning days of 2018 I feel it’s important to reflect on the year that is passing. It’s of equal import to consider the new year that is about to commence. In my life, 2018 has been a year of transition. It was the year I decided to step off the hamster wheel and […]
My alarm buzzed this morning at 5:52 am. I hit the snooze button knowing the back-up on my phone was set for seven minutes later. I drifted back to that light NREM sleep that doesn’t really have any positive benefit for the body. It kind of just makes you more tired. You know the saying […]
You get a job to get paid, but you gotta work lots of hours each day. Divide up those hours by how much you get paid. It’s not a lot by the hour. The fact is it’s a fraction after taxes. Still you’re there early and after hours; sometimes on your day off. They should […]
I’m an ambitious Ares. Essentially that means I have tendencies built into my personality that I have to be cognizant of, or else those tendencies get me into trouble. Being an ambitious Ares means I exhibit a considerable amount of intensity as well as a desire to attain greatness and achievement. Inversely, that tremendous energy […]
It is impossible not to recognize that moment. Isn’t it? It’s the moment where you realize you are doing the wrong thing with your life or you’re on the wrong path. That moment stares you right in the face and screams your name. It calls you to it with an intense magnetism. These moments of […]
Children are strange little beings indeed. At their best they are smiling rays of light and life that uplift us in our darkest moments. At their worst they are snotty, obnoxious little people. Regardless of your general outlook on children, as a community we are all responsible for being good examples and mentors to the […]
Just yesterday I completed reading the novel Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It was an unusual but compelling story that makes for a fast fulfilling read. A fellow wanderer, who has been a confidant in my recent personal journeys, as well as a partner in my learnings, shared a story with […]
Written by John Andreula It’s a tight window, this duration of time. Three thousand or so years since the expanse of civilization. The Earth remembers the time before; the quiet time near forgotten. She longs for a period of silence and rest and peace. The Earth wishes for growth without sentience, terrain lacking so-called intelligent […]
I would like to share the story of my weight loss journey in hopes that it may inspire others to do the same. You too, can gain control of your physical being and become the person you’ve always wanted to be. It will not be easy, but it is definitely not as hard as you […]
I don’t know where I’m headed, but I walk ahead sure I’m going somewhere. I walk toward the light. Onward toward the sound of laughter and good spirits. I leave all the negativity in my wake. I cannot predict how my story ends, but when it does I hope my eulogy is delivered to the […]
A smile is the look of attraction. It is an action that needs practicing. A muscle that needs to be worked out. At a minimum, a smile will earn a smile back. It is disarming and charming. When not expected it can be weird or even alarming. I practice my smile and try to make […]
Jim Rohn, famed American author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Think about that. If your five closest friends are bad at managing their finances, or their idea of what they should do every night is getting drunk, smoking weed, watching TV, […]
We travel down this path, tired, sore, but still moving on. I try to recall why we initially embarked on this journey, but my memory is unclear after so long. It may have just been our wanderlust. It may have been our curiosity to find we are truly capable of. The immensity of what lays […]
The “Why” is the common denominator that author, speaker, and thinker, Simon Sinek, has concluded separate most uber-successful businesses and leaders from their counterparts and contemporaries. Hence the concept Start With Why. However, “Why” is not enough. It was not enough for Martin Luther King Jr. It was not enough for Steve Jobs and Apple, […]
Upon completing my reading of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle I felt victorious. It was an incredibly deep and personal read. The Power of Now is the best non-fiction book I have read. I sincerely hope its teachings stay with me for the rest of my life. I believe its contents will assist […]
The past several days of my life have been filled with travel and wrapping up work and life responsibilities to prepare for a much-needed vacation. I reflect on how my tenor and mood have been. It is obvious that my mood has had a direct correlation on the quality of my interactions. My emotional state […]
In recent days I have received a lot of commentary from close friends in regards to the advice and concepts introduced in the Pluck Those Weeds From Your Life article. A few have pointedly asked or wondered if I consider them weeds. To them I responded they are not. I believe they would certainly know […]
We all attempt to stay focused on what’s important to us in our lives. Time with family, exploring our passions, and exercising are all examples of some of the best uses of our time and emotional energies. The people in our lives can be our best allies and advocates in achieving our goals and aspirations. […]
When was the last adventure you embarked on? Has it been so long ago that you can barely remember the feelings it created within you? Monotony; it is what so many people are doomed to be in a perpetual state of. Whether it’s based on fear, social or familial programming, or the worst of all, […]
In my thirty six years of existence I have taken so much. I have taken resources from our mother planet in such excess that forever will be well acquainted with my refuse. I have bought and traded and earned and stole and acquired countless things. I have trashed and recycled that much and more packaging, […]
“There’s no I in team.” That old cliche. Bosses may say it after an employee refuses to stay late on day they had made plans. Coaches say it when a player asks for more touches or minutes. They say it as well when the players request more time to dedicate to homework or more rest […]
I did it again. Failure seems to wait for it’s chance to remind us that we are weak, slow, and dumb. It found me once again at my Kung Fu school last night. After our normal class ended and we bowed out I invited an old training partner to spar with me. This partner had […]
If you are the type of person who says, “Eww gross, networking…” then you probably won’t read this article. If you already value your network, or if you are just building up your network from a small or malnourished one, then the title of this article most likely has caught your eye. I am hoping […]
“A man has dreams of walking with giants, to carve his niche in the edifice of time…” -George Banks from Mary Poppins Shortly after my most recent article, Failure Habits Turned Into Successful Ones, a friend, Dave asked me what determines the quality of my success. This question cut deeply into my psyche. I knew […]
Failing Upwards has been born and grown very organically. I originally set out to reinforce my writing habit and create a new habit of creative production and publication through these posts. My original intention was to produce fiction works. I was hoping to use this blog as a sounding board for anyone interested in reading […]
We’ve established that we want to be 9’s striving to be 10’s. It is impossible to never slip and fail or we’d already be the 10’s we’re striving to be. Perfection is an irresponsible and unattainable goal. You could spend the whole day doing your face and hair. Your face is still not going to […]
Selling is a part of nearly every occupation and business. My personal experience specifically is in retail and services. I have had tremendous success over the years learning skills and techniques in closing sales and building value. I would like to demonstrate the benefits of creating a customer experience over just having selling skills. “Welcome […]
It’s time to give ourselves a pat on the back and a pep talk to get us ready for our future. So far here on Failing Upwards we have eliminated some of our worse habits and introduced new more positive ones (see: The Dichotomy of Habits). We have learned to use defeat to find strength. […]
Hacking, it’s not just for computers anymore. Technology today hacks things like note taking and to do lists making them much easier, more accessible, and most importantly quicker. Athletes hack their workouts to maximize gains and wins. Companies try to hack the business processes to maximize income and productivity while employees try to hack the […]
It’s hard, I know. You are making an attempt to be relentlessly optimistic and positive. You are doing your best to improve yourself every day and with every interaction. You have a general desire to add value to other’s lives. Inevitably someone or something will attempt to rain on your good vibes parade. Don’t let […]
Currently my career is in sales. I’m looking to transition back into management after an almost four year break. One of the tools I’ve placed into my tool-bag and forgot about from my decade of management was my network. Until recently I hadn’t really thought about it, but it’s been there waiting for me to […]
Since Failing Upward is the umbrella under which my set of personal philosophies exist I wanted to share one of the actions I take to give me a financial edge over the majority of consumers and money spenders and savers out there. I may take the long way around to make the connection, but bear […]
My wife and I have created several entrepreneurial enterprises over the past decade. Occasionally our e-businesses would make a large sale or several moderate sized sales. These endeavors have cost us money in the acquisition of product or supplies to create and ship said products. They have cost us space. We have an entire room […]
Today is Mother’s Day. I spell Mother with a capital M. This is because the Mothers in our lives are magical people and they deserve so much more than one day to celebrate their sacrifices and dedication. I feel this because of the encouragement they have provided me and because of the way they make […]
I would like to share some of my experiences in Failing Upward, my personal philosophy. It is defined by a relentless positivity and continually making lemonade out of lemons. If I am going to fail or lose or get hurt or even get fired from a job I will do so while ending up with […]
So you have taken a hard look at how you currently utilize your time. It’s time to address those pesky bad habits. Some examples are excessive social media, phone and screen time, recreational drug use, pornography, and especially working too many hours at a shitty job. It is time to commit to and to execute […]
A short while back I made a decision to make some extreme positive changes in my life. At the time and for as long as I can remember I was not happy. I had difficulties in my relationships with family and friends. I brought work stress home and was aimless in my career path. My […]
I commit to exhibiting high value behaviors and reducing low value behaviors in my life. I commit to surrounding myself with others who are high value in their actions and reducing interactions with those who are low value. I commit to adding value to the world. I commit to being kind, good, and generous with […]