14d • General discussion
Principle of the Week: Fresh Starts Matter
Today marks the first full week of the new year. Like me, you probably feel a mix of excitement, eagerness, and optimism for what lies ahead. A new journey. New places. New opportunities as we travel down the road of life and business.
But for many of us, we get stopped before we ever really get started.
We remember how badly we stumbled last year—the screw-ups, the disappointments, the failures, and the fears. And the thought creeps in: Is it even worth the effort if this year is just going to look like last year?
Starting new and fresh is always good, and it can lead to great things. Let me give you an example.
In 1888, at just thirteen years old, Winston Churchill entered Harrow School, one of the most prestigious schools in England. Upon taking his entrance exam, he failed miserably. The headmaster took pity on him and admitted him anyway.
Although excited for the opportunity, Winston finished at the bottom of his class—and by bottom, I mean dead last.
He wasn’t considered very bright, was small for his age, and fell ill more often than most boys. Eventually, his father recommended that Winston pursue a military career, where the Churchill name had earned fame and glory. Winston leapt at the opportunity and applied to Sandhurst, the British equivalent of West Point.
There was only one problem: he had to pass the entrance exam.
He failed it.
Then failed it again.
Then failed it a third time.
Finally, on his last attempt, he passed and was admitted. It was a fresh start—and one Churchill refused to waste. He identified the gaps in his education and consumed every book he could find just to keep up with his classmates.
By the time he graduated from Sandhurst, he finished 8th out of 150.
What would the story of Winston Churchill be if he had allowed his early failures to define his future? What would the fate of Britain have been if he had looked backward instead of forward?
Thankfully, we don’t have to answer those questions.
The past didn’t define who Winston Churchill was—or who he was meant to become. And it doesn’t define you either.
Today is a new day. This year is a new year. Learn from the mistakes of the past—but then leave them there. Get better one minute at a time. Then one hour. Then one day. Then one week. And before you know it, you are a changed person—and your business is thriving.
As Winston Churchill once said:
“Danger gathers upon our path. We cannot afford—we have no right—to look back. We must look forward.”
Be Principled,
Caleb
1
1 comment
Principle of the Week: Fresh Starts Matter
skool.com/the-principled-entrepreneur-2834
Entrepreneurship with Integrity
Powered by