My Climb to Improvement: 20 Days Into 20

It’s been exactly 20 days since I turned 20, and I’ve been working hard to stay consistent with several goals from my vision board. I’ve set 19 goals to accomplish before I turn 21, and in these first 20 days, I’ve managed to start three of them. That might not seem like much, but for me, it's a big improvement. I’m beginning to feel like I’m getting on track, slowly but surely.

However, not every day feels like progress. Some days, I wake up late or fail to finish my entire to-do list, and that makes me feel like I’m falling behind. It’s frustrating, especially when I have a full plate between my personal goals and my internship, which takes up most of my day from 8 AM to 6 PM. As my motivation starts to wane, I’ve realized that now is the time to rely on discipline, but to be honest, my discipline isn’t as strong as I thought it would be.

But that’s what I wanted to talk about today: It doesn’t matter how many times you fail; what truly matters is how many times you get back up. This is a powerful idea because when we fail, it’s natural to focus only on the failure itself. In those moments, that’s all we tend to see. But I want to challenge you—and myself—to shift perspective. Every time you fail, you gain valuable insights. These setbacks shape your journey, teaching you lessons that help you grow.

The real power lies in getting back up. Each time you do, you build resilience, character, and the perseverance necessary for long-term success. Yes, failure can feel crushing, like the world is against you. But true strength comes from accepting failure, learning from it, and moving forward. There’s always a reason behind each failure, and if you take the time to analyze why it happened, you can prepare yourself better for the next time.

I get why we see failure as a crushing defeat—it’s something many of us were taught to fear from a young age. Often, when we failed, we were scolded or made to feel like we weren’t good enough. Unfortunately, that mindset sticks with us, but it doesn’t have to define us. We can redefine failure as a teachable moment, not as something to be ashamed of. Failure is not a dead end; it's a detour that guides us toward the right path.

As I continue my climb to improvement, I’m reminding myself that setbacks are part of the journey. I’ve accomplished a lot in just 20 days, but there’s still much more to do. And when the going gets tough, I’ll remember: what matters isn’t how many times I fall, but how many times I rise.