💪 Failure is Fuel | Finding Strength When Adversity Grows (S.W.A.G.)

Adversity doesn’t block your path—it builds your strength.

“Do it for the ’gram.”

The idea of doing something purely for the aesthetic. Entire places have been shaped by the phenomenon of posting pictures; whole businesses exist just to create backdrops for social media.

You can rent time on a jet—or in a studio that looks like one—just to take a photo and create the perception you’re flying private.

For some, that’s enough.

There’s a Latin phrase that speaks to this:

Esse quam videri — to be rather than to seem.

Cicero and others used it to talk about character: the difference between appearing virtuous and actually being virtuous.

Last week I wrote about values in motion. This week is the career version—how adversity forged the skills I still use.

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My first professional failure

I was fired from serving tables.

A guest ordered the lunch portion of a pasta dish; I rang in the dinner portion. We comped the meal. Later, a new GM let several people go, including me. When I asked why, he said that during the incident it seemed like I didn’t really care.

I’d never been fired before—and I haven’t been since. That day I learned how important it is to give 100% to whatever I’m doing, even if it’s just a stepping stone.

It was a decision point. Do I learn another menu… or go a different direction?

My brother, a finance manager at a dealership in Tyler at the time, had posted that they were hiring. I decided to apply and see what selling cars was about.

My nicest slacks had holes in the pockets. Maybe three decent shirts. I remember standing on the showroom floor, staring through the glass, wondering how I’d sell enough to pay my bills.

I’d already dropped out of college. I’d just been fired. Back against the wall, I started learning everything I could about sales and marketing and, slowly, improved.

Eventually, I had a monetized YouTube channel, put consistent sales on the board, and gained the confidence that I could learn, apply, and chart my own path.

Every role since has been influenced by what I learned selling cars. No degree or title opened doors for me. I earned attention and trust by how I showed up—online and face to face.

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S.W.A.G. — Strength When Adversity Grows

Not a pose. A posture earned in hard seasons.

When adversity grows, I show your strength. That’s real S.W.A.G.

Sometimes the best teacher is a hard season.

Read the original Power Acronym 25: S.W.A.G. post here.

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Failure is fuel

When I dropped out, I could’ve given up on learning.

When I got fired, I could’ve said I’d never work again.

When opportunities opened to start in a new industry, I could’ve said, “I’m not a born salesman” or “It’s too late to make a change.”

Time and again I realized there’s more than one way to see a situation—and that I have more control than I think.

Marcus Aurelius put it this way:

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Obstacles aren’t to be avoided; they can become the path forward. With the right mindset, they refine character, force creativity, and build resilience.

That’s not winning on the ’gram.
That’s being—and becoming—a winner.

Failure is fuel.

Part 2 of the Failing Forward series. Read more via the links below:

Foundational → Fuel → Fortune → Feedback → Focus → Freedom