Today, as I stood repairing the old walking bridge in my Dream Garden, the sound of my hammer against rusty metal posts brought back powerful memories. This bridge, which I built with my own hands years ago, has taught me more about life than I ever expected.
Let me share my journey from failure to success, and how a simple garden bridge became a symbol of everything I’ve learned about perseverance.
The Bridge That Changed My Perspective
Around 12:45 p.m. today, I walked to the bridge I built years ago. Time has taken its toll—the metal posts have rusted, and repairs are needed. As I worked with my hammer, each clang reminded me of when I first built this bridge.
Back then, the work felt impossible. I stood sweating in the heat, carrying dozens of wooden planks and tens of kilograms of materials. It was uncomfortable, exhausting, and completely outside my comfort zone.
And that’s exactly why it mattered.
A Past Without Skill Doesn’t Mean a Future Without Skill
When I started building the bridge, I wasn’t a master carpenter. I wasn’t a professional welder. I had no experience with heavy construction.
But here’s what I learned: skills aren’t something you’re born with. They’re something you build, just like my bridge.
I tried different approaches. Some worked. Many failed. I rebuilt sections multiple times. Through this process of trial and error, I developed skills I never thought I could have.
Today, I can design and build various structures to beautify my garden. I’ve become creative with decorations. I understand how materials work together. I didn’t wait to become skilled before starting. I started, and the skills came along the way.
My Real-Life Success Story After Business Failure
The bridge repairs triggered deeper memories—memories of business failures that once crushed my spirit.
1. First Failure: 2014-2015 My partner and I launched our first business in mid-2014. We were excited, hopeful, and full of energy. But as I shared in my “7 Hard Lessons from My Failed Businesses“, we failed just nine months later. The disappointment was overwhelming. We had invested time, money, and dreams into that venture.
2. Second Failure: 2017-2019 We didn’t give up. In 2017, we tried again. We thought we had learned from our mistakes. We believed this time would be different. It wasn’t. By 2019, we faced failure again. Two failures. Two dreams crushed. Many people would have stopped there.
3. Success After Failure: 2023-Present In mid-2023, we decided to try one more time. This was our third attempt at building a successful business. This time, something was different. We had learned from our previous failures. We had developed skills through experience. We had built resilience, just like I had built that bridge—piece by piece, mistake by mistake, lesson by lesson.
From 2023 until today, our business has grown steadily. Everything has gone smoothly. We finally achieved the success we had been working toward for nearly a decade.
How to Overcome Failure and Succeed in Life: Lessons I Learned
My journey from business failure to success taught me valuable lessons that anyone can apply:
1. Don’t Let Your Past Block Your Future
Who you were yesterday doesn’t determine who you can become tomorrow. I was once someone who feared failure. But I changed, and so can you. Your past limitations are not permanent. They’re just the starting point of your growth story.
2. Success Requires Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
Building that bridge meant standing in the hot sun, sweating, and doing physical labor I wasn’t used to. Starting businesses meant risking failure and facing disappointment.
Comfort is the enemy of growth. If you want to achieve something you’ve never achieved, you must do things you’ve never done.
3. Failure Is Practice, Not the End
Each business failure taught us something crucial:
- What strategies don’t work
- How to manage resources better
- Which partnerships to avoid
- When to pivot and when to persist
Every failure was actually preparation for our eventual success.
4. Keep Starting Again
The difference between people who succeed after failure and those who don’t is simple: successful people start again.
We failed in 2015. We started again in 2017. We failed in 2019. We started again in 2023. That third attempt finally worked—but only because we kept trying.
5. Small Projects Build Big Confidence
The bridge wasn’t just a bridge. It was proof to myself that I could complete difficult projects. It gave me confidence that carried over into business.
Start with small challenges. Complete them. Let each success build your belief in yourself.
Developing a Growth Mindset Story of Your Own
You might be facing your own challenges right now. Maybe you’ve failed at something important. Maybe you’re afraid to try because you lack skills or experience.
Here’s what I want you to remember: A past without success does not mean a future without success.
Every expert was once a beginner. Every successful business owner has faced setbacks. Every skilled craftsperson started with clumsy first attempts.
The question isn’t whether you’ll face difficulties. You will. The question is: will you let those difficulties stop you, or will you use them as stepping stones?
Your Bright Future Starts with Today’s Decision
If you dare to start, and if you dare to change your present situation, your future will be bright.
That rusty bridge in my garden reminds me daily that nothing stays perfect without maintenance and effort. Success requires ongoing work. But it also proves that something I built years ago still stands strong—just like the lessons I learned from failure still support me today.
Whether you’re recovering from business failure or trying to develop new skills, remember this: every hammer strike, every setback, every attempt builds something valuable.
Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t wait until you feel ready. Start now, learn as you go, and keep moving forward.
Your bridge to success is waiting to be built—one piece at a time.
