How my business failure changed my life – for the better

Let me tell you a story about my life changing business failure.
I have been working in Energy business most of my life and getting the job well done. Then, one day, came along this unique and appealing opportunity to get involved in a multimillion construction project. Of course, I grabbed the chance with both of my hands. Although I was doing more than well, I wanted more. I took the opportunity and dived right in! Unfortunately, as the project went on, little, disturbing things started to happen.
Call them signs, if you will. But I chose to ignore all of them and proceeded to best of my knowledge.
It was as if I was living inside a bubble. I got too confident, too cocky. With that attitude, I wasn’t learning at all!
You would think that an opportunity of this magnitude would take the best out of you. In unknown circumstances, we tend to learn the most. But I didn’t learn a damn thing. I was making one mistake after another. And when things started to fall apart, there I was, trying to solve problems in every wrong way possible. On my own – without any guidance or help.
It was far too late for me to do anything about it when it all came down. And in the course of two weeks, I lost everything. What makes things even worse is the fact that my other businesses were doing okay, but due to the fact I had everything linked to this one big project, it all fell apart.
In the end, I realized that my greatest mistake was not about investing millions in the project I knew nothing about it. It was about not learning during the process.
Of course, I failed! Acting the way I was —it was almost like driving on auto-pilot— the whole project was doomed from the start.
I learned the hard way that failing is normal. It’s pretty much like riding a bike! Nobody ever gets it right on the first attempt, and no one expects you to.
This disastrous failure changed me, entirely. The man I used to be; he´s not around anymore. Now I´m helping others and making sure they don´t repeat my mistakes. Well, at least not all of the mistakes together, and as much as they allow me to help.
I turned my failure into knowledge. A few years overdue, but still. So, it´s true. Anything does happen for a reason.