> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.howardgray.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The Failure Reel: 2023
- URL: https://www.howardgray.net/the-2023-failure-reel/
- Published: 2023-12-28T18:09:17.000Z
- Updated: 2023-12-28T19:04:44.000Z
- Description: My top 10 fails of 2023
- Author: Howard Gray
- Tags: Entrepreneurial Endeavours, Howard's Riffs, Freelancing, Creative Business

Tis the season for highlight reels: yes, that end of year post about how honored/excited/humbled-but-not-humbled we are. In keeping with the theme (well, kinda), here’s my 2023 reel: a compilation of my top mistakes and failures.

From what was a highly competitive pool of submissions, here's this year's top 10:

1\. Writing for the algorithm vs. following my curiosity and what really interests me

2\. Over investing into the nuts & bolts of producing client work, and underinvesting into biz dev and the long game

3\. Not directly asking for help - especially when I most needed it

4\. Eight week gaps between haircuts

5\. Feeling deep shame when my income took a hit (I spent too much of the year forgetting that money is not our entire identity...)

6\. Not acting on the sparks of levity & inspiration (remember, they're perishable)

7\. Telling myself I'd found the others, when I probably hadn't

8\. Getting caught between building two brands at the same time

9\. Leaning too far into being a ‘Giver’ vs. ‘Otherish’ (per Adam Grant’s ‘Givers & Takers’)

10\. Not making my first visit to CostCo until September. A true slice of life.

---

A few miscellaneous learnings:

- When times are hard, you find out who your friends are
- Most advice doesn't come with caveats - it probably needs to
- A quick ‘No’ is underestimated
- In person connections remain magical - and always will be
- A key part of parenting is being able to regulate your emotions
- A good cold email can work, but don’t bank on it
- The Creator Economy is far more challenging than they want you to believe
- The LinkedIn posts I delete are nearly always the ones I shouldn’t

There are a few other things I want to share, but tbh I’m not sure even this - my own space - is the place. I gotta say it’s been a tough year. In many ways, my toughest ever. 

But I’m still here. And so are you.

Onwards.