Fail Fast, Win Big: Why Growth Demands Grit

Let’s get one thing straight: success isn’t born from perfection. It’s born from face-plants, wrong turns, ego bruises, and those nights where you stare at the ceiling wondering what the hell you’re doing with your life. Growth isn’t glamorous. It’s gritty. It’s messy. And it requires a ridiculous amount of resilience most people never build because they’re too afraid of looking stupid.

But you? You’re here. Which means you’re already ahead of the game.

You want the truth? If you’re not failing, you’re not even in the arena.

The Myth of “Smooth” Success

Everyone loves the highlight reel: the launch that sold out, the body transformation, the bank account glow-up, the spiritual awakening. What you don’t see? The part where you tried something bold and it bombed. Or the part where you practiced for weeks and delivered a mediocre result anyway.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success.

Failure is the curriculum of success.

Every misstep teaches you data, direction, and discipline.

Every botched attempt toughens your emotional skin.

Every setback sharpens the blade you’re gonna swing when the real opportunity shows up.

You want big wins? Then you need big grit.

A Quick Personal Reality Check

Rebecca and I have lived this cycle so many times it feels like a lifestyle.

Studios opened. Studios closed. Programs crushed. Programs flopped.

Money up. Money down.

Confidence high. Confidence shattered.

Repeat.

As small business owners, we’ve eaten more humble pie than most people taste in a lifetime. And here’s what we know for a fact: every big breakthrough we’ve ever had was built on the wreckage of something we “failed” at first.

That’s the game.

If you can stomach the lows, the highs hit harder.

If you can handle the mess, the masterpiece reveals itself.

Failure Is Feedback

Most people treat failure like a death sentence.

But the people who win?

They treat failure like a diagnostic report.

You don’t fail because you’re worthless — you fail because you’re learning the edges of your capability. You’re learning what needs refined, redirected, reinvented.

Failure is a flashlight.

It says “Not this way… try over here.”

It recalibrates your vision, your choices, and your future.

This is why gritty people keep moving.

They don’t take failure personally — they take it strategically.

The Grit Formula

(AKA Matt’s No-Bullshit Method)

If you want a life that actually excites you, you need the courage to suck before you shine.

Here’s how you build that grit muscle:

1. Expect Discomfort

If something scares you or makes you feel like an amateur — congratulations, you’re heading in the right direction.

2. Move Fast, Learn Faster

Stop overthinking. Start experimenting. The faster you act, the faster you evolve.

3. Don’t Marinate in Mistakes

Feel it. Process it. Then get back to work. Failure only becomes permanent when you take up residence in it.

4. Keep Your Vision Loud & Your Ego Quiet

Your dream should speak louder than your fear. Your mission matters more than your pride.

5. Build Calluses, Not Excuses

You toughen up through repetition. Not talking about it. Not planning it. But doing the damn thing.

Why This Matters Right Now

We live in a world obsessed with immediate results and zero discomfort. People want confidence without risk, success without struggle, purpose without effort.

But that’s not reality.

That’s not growth.

That’s not power.

You were not built for easy.

You were built for evolution.

And evolution requires friction.

Pressure.

Failure.

Rebuild.

Rise.

Repeat.

You are shaping a version of yourself so strong, so sharp, so untouchable — but only if you stay in the ring long enough to earn it.

FINAL KICKER: DO THIS TODAY

Pick ONE thing you’ve been avoiding because you’re afraid you’ll screw it up — and do it badly on purpose.

Seriously.

Fail at it.

Messy, imperfect, beautifully human action.

Send the email.

Launch the idea.

Record the video.

Try the thing.

Apply for the opportunity.

You’ll instantly break the spell that fear has over your life. That one bold, imperfect action will set off a chain reaction of growth you can’t unsee.

If you’re ready to stop playing small and start playing real — welcome to the grit era.

Let’s go.