Failure to Launch
Failure to Launch
A flyby fiction about believing in yourself.
Jackson Barnes was a force of nature. With his ungodly levels of focus, he would put his head down, crank up the rock music, and get into a state of flow so intense the people around him could only stand around and watch in awe.
Most people you know would struggle with building a piece of software that could make an impact. Not Jackson Barnes. For him, it was effortless. Graduating top of his class, he was arguably one of the best coders in town, perhaps even the world. His colleagues all despised him, through no fault of his own. They just couldn't gain empathy for his savage levels of productivity.
There was one problem, however. Jackson Barnes didn't believe in himself. While others would see his state of deep focus with awe, he couldn't get himself out of it. He just wanted to be in the zone and never understood the true potential of his powers. For better or for worse, Jackson Barnes was missing the bigger picture.
By the time he had graduated, he had already built three game-changing app prototypes. All with the potential to move the world forward. But he wouldn't launch a single one.
There was always some excuse.
"I'm just focused on learning right now," he would say. Fair enough. It's better to grow than try to put out a half-baked product. But what Jackson had was better quality than 99% of the "professional" stuff you could find on the market. "It's just not good enough yet." You could say he was a perfectionist, but really, he just couldn't get out of his comfort zone. His comfort zone was to create. A serial inventor of sorts. Always building, but never releasing. Never letting the world be the judge of his creations. Seems like all the awe he attracted had its side effects. It caused him to put too much pressure on himself.
Yup, you got that right, folks. Jackson Barnes was trapped in his head.
*
It's the last day of school. Jackson was minding his own business in the library, working on one of his projects. His headphones were banging as the bass and snare drum raced each other in a fierce drum solo. All the while, he was oblivious to the career fair going on around. A sniper from a recently formed tech company takes notice. He had wandered about to an area he wasn't supposed to be in. Seems like he knew what he was doing. High Horse Interactive said the badge. Perhaps not the most prestigious places to work, a virtual slot machine company with the sole aim of making profits. They were notorious for their old school sales department known for one thing and one thing only— getting results.
A closer look at the badge would see the letters C.E.O. The top dog himself. It was none other than the legendary sales tycoon, now moving into software— B.J. "Axe" Johnson.
"Hey there, what do we have here?" asks Johnson with a look of intrigue as he walks over to Jackson.
Jackson wasn't interested. He didn't even take notice. But Johnson could tell that he had found something special. One glimpse of Jackson's screen and his eyes peered wide open. He knew he had hit the jackpot.
Johnson, of course, had some persuasion skills of his own. "Tough economy these days. You already have a job lined up, kid?"
Jackson flinched, now getting annoyed at the unwanted interruption. "Yeah, I'll find something."
Johnson got a reaction, check.
"OK, kid, as long as you have a plan. It's going to be hard to find something with this recession looming," said Johnson with a smirk on his face.
Jackson, now intrigued, stopped his music. Still looking down, gulped, "Recession?"
Hook, line, and sinker. Johnson had got his man.
"Yeah, you don't live underwater do you kid? There's a recession coming. Everyone's laying off their staff. By the thousands. You'd be lucky to even find a job in this economy".
Gulp.
Jackson really wasn't aware of any of this. He ignored the news and was too focused on his work. He had been in a university environment where he could channel all his energy into his projects. But now he was about to leave it, and a part of him was indeed uncertain about what was next. Alas, had he known better, he would have known that predictions aren't always accurate, and that momentum was on his side 100%, and that he was sitting on a goldmine if he just had the courage to take it to market.
But it was already too late. Johnson had reeled him in.
"Right, well, here's my card. If you ever want to come work in one of the hottest software shops in town, give me a ring. I'll see to it personally that we find you a rockstar position. You won't even have to do any interviews."
"Wow, no interviews? That sounds nice," Jackson said with a surprised look. Clearly, he wasn't very confident in his abilities. But Johnson had the eye. He knew he was capturing the big fish.
It was a turbulent couple of weeks. The conversation played like a broken record at the back of Jackson's head. His mind was now on the lookout for all things recession-related. He started seeing it everywhere. In the news, in conversations around him. His focus had been penetrated. He soon accepted Johnson's offer without even looking for what else was out there. The offer was appalling, and Johnson low-balled him. In his head, he had no leverage. He felt as if they were doing him a favor. He didn't even have to interview, and there was a recession looming after all. Little did he know he could have aced an interview anywhere in the world and made double, perhaps even triple, the salary he was offered. He just couldn't get himself to think bigger and believe in himself.
He arrived at High Horse with his head high. It turned out to be a mickey mouse operation with just a handful of people working there. Jackson would have a lot more responsibility than he had expected. But if there was one thing he was up for, it was the task.
*
Time leaped forward like nobody's business. 22 went by in a blink, and Jackson watched the world pass in slow motion. He was soon 28, married, and finding less and less time for his own projects. He started getting known as J.B. around work. Known for setting a high bar and getting results. People came and went, but J.B. stayed at High Horse and made the ranks. He went from junior to senior to manager to even more manager, and with the help of J.B., High Horse went from a mickey mouse operation into Disneyland itself.
All this would have been great, except deep down he just wanted to follow his own path, which was causing him cognitive dissonance. He wanted to learn and grow and reach his full potential. But instead, he had spent the years focused on growing High Horse instead. Something was missing in his life. But J.B. was a professional, so he gave it his all. He was one of the top performers at the company, but the momentum in his own endeavors started to fall flat.
As they say, if you don't have a plan for your life, someone else will. J.B. had the focus, skills, and determination to make anything he ever wanted happen and move the world forward. But he lacked the vision or the ability to step out of himself and see the bigger picture. He was caught in the currents like a fish swimming downstream.
He had continued building apps on the side for the first few years but hadn't launched any. Over time, his coding skills were getting weaker, and all the promotions and Johnson's influence were pumping up his Ego and making him feel even more entitled and full of himself. His own projects got increasingly complicated, but he still couldn't bring himself to launch. He was still afraid of any criticism. He hadn't yet realized that his circle of influence could have such a big impact on the direction of his life.
*
A couple of years later, right before his 30th birthday, J.B. had a moment of awakening. It was a regular day at the office, straight after he returned from New York from a conference it had taken him months to organize.
Seems like he had become a party planner now.
He still hadn't fully recovered from the Jet Lag or the hangover when, suddenly, without warning, one of his reports from the design department walked into his office.
"Hey, Jack," *cough* "Sorry, you got a minute?"
And from J.B., he had now become Jack. The rock music had faded and soon turned into slow Jazz. He was losing his edge and getting even more wrapped up in things of lesser concern.
"Hey there, you alright?" responded Jack quickly with a look of concern.
"Yeah, no, just uh, got some allergies," quipped the colleague.
"OK, sure, so what can I do for you, Max?"
Jack had always been a mentor to Max. Even though Max was an artist, Jack saw potential and had been grooming him to take over his role someday, just like Johnson was doing with him.
"Hey Jack, soo, yeah, I know you were proud of the event and all, but I've got a different vision for my life. I want to be learning and growing and reach my full potential. Not attending late-night conferences with motivational speakers in them. I've found myself a new job in New York."
Jack was now caught off guard.
How could Max have just gone out and found a job.. in New York? That's all the way across the country. With one brief encounter, all his beliefs about how things were supposed to work had been shattered. Jack, on the other hand, had just taken the first job he had been offered right in his backyard. Maybe he should have shopped around some more, he wondered.
"New York? But I thought you love it here in L.A.? Aren't you supposed to be a surfer dude?"
"Yeah, well, never really got the time to hit the waves. Was busy burning the midnight oil, as they say. Besides, it's at Bubblesoft!"
"Wow, Bubblesoft!? Good for you, dude. Look at you, all, Mr. Success-Story over here."
Jack was now a bit envious. Could he also perhaps work somewhere like Bubblesoft? He had many more skills than Max and would likely get paid much better. But he had never done any interviews till now. Would he have the courage to think bigger and believe this time? Let's find out …
"Wild. You know what, work is light these days. Why don't you just leave on Friday? Take some time for yourself."
"Wow, really, this Friday? You sure you don't need me to wrap things up."
"Nah, we'll handle it! Maybe go and hit the waves one last time while you still can."
And with that, the gigantic ocean waves had splashed all over Jack's plans to find a successor.
Later that night, he walks into his house with a grim look.
"You alright, Jack?" asks his wife, Liz, with a look of concern.
"Yeah. Max just quit. I'm not sure what happened. I thought the conference would have brought morale up. I even organized a bingo tournament, for god's sake."
"Oh no, honey, it's not your fault. I'm sure the event was great. Everyone has their own stuff they are dealing with."
"I suppose. I just don't know what I'm even doing here. I never wanted to be a manager and deal with any of this. I just want to go back and follow my own path."
"Well, what about that app you've been building? Why don't you just launch that? We have a year in savings. You can always take some time off."
"It's not ready yet. Besides, I just don't think it's good enough. I need to go back to the drawing board. I have a better idea. This one is going to change the world."
"OK, honey. You know best." said Liz trying not to offend Jack.
And so, once more. Jack goes back to his comfort zone— creating in isolation. He would now lose all the momentum from his previous process and would be starting from scratch. Using the exact same process as before. We all know how that went last time.
*
Life goes on, and a few more years pass by. His app was still “in development”, light years away from being done, and he still found some reason or the other to delay the launch. He always found something wrong with the product, but it was really his mind getting in the way.
The music stopped altogether now, and he kept himself busy to dull the silence. Perhaps there was something it could have taught him. If he only had the courage to listen.
He now had a mortgage, and his salary had grown significantly. He was in too deep and couldn't even think of leaving High Horse. He was ready to take over Johnson's role and run the company. That's what Johnson had been grooming him for this whole time. His own dreams were now a million years away.
It was time for the annual conference again, and J.B. was eager to get it going and pump everyone up. He planned to book the same venue in New York from three years ago and had all the activities planned out in his diary. It would be the best one yet.
He logs in to his computer and tries to book the venue— "Transaction Denied." He tried his other three corporate credit cards. Same result.
"Transaction Denied? It's only $10k. Why am I getting denied for such a small amount," he wondered.
He tries to find out what's up and walks into Johnson's office.
"Hey, Big J. I'm trying to book the venue, but all my cards got declined. You know what's up?" he asks eagerly and clearly a bit frustrated.
Johnson had a stern look on his face. "Listen, Jack, we've got some news. You might want to take a seat for this."
He didn't quite know what to make of it.
"Sure, Big J. What's happening?"
Johnson put his hands together, leaned forward, and started speaking slowly.
"Listen, Jack.. We are getting acquired."
Woh.
Jack froze like a deer caught in the headlights.
Johnson continues with the news— "This might come as a surprise, but they only want to hire the core talent. Not any of the managers, Jack. Unfortunately, we won't have a position for you any longer."
From being caught in the headlights to being completely run over. This was the last thing Jack could have expected.
"Wow, I don't know what to say, Big J… What about you?"
"Well, as you know, I'm getting old now. So I'll be taking the cash and retiring in the Bahamas. It's about time I call it a day."
"Wow, um, congrats, Big J! I don't suppose there's going to be any of that payout left over for us lowly managers, would there?" asked Jack slyly, though, in his head, he knew he would surely be getting a cut.
"I'm sorry, Jack. It doesn't work like that. The payout will be split between the executives and investors. We can't really offer anything to anyone else. You will be getting a generous severance package, however."
Perhaps not. Jack was now livid.
"Generous severance package!? What do you mean severance package? I built this place, Johnson. You wouldn't have anything without me!"
Johnson now scoffed, spitting out his drink as his tone grew tense, "You didn't build squat, kid! I built this place. ME. You hear me? I hired you. I took the risk. It was my money on the line. That's what matters in this business, kid. Skin in the game. You wanna get rich, you wanna control your time, you wanna be somebody? You put your own neck on the line. Don't be coming in here telling me I owe you anything. Nobody owes you anything, boy. Now get outta here before I change my mind even about that severance package."
Johnson had shown his true colors. How could J.B. have missed all of this? Years of frustration, expectations, and pressure had built up to this moment.
*POP*
"You know what, Johnson!? Screw you and your damn severance package!! You need to grow yourself a heart, old man. Enjoy the tan, you greedy pig!"
Johnson wasn’t phased.
"I'll send you a postcard!" he laughs as Jack storms out the door, forgetting to even take his belongings.
His own heart raced as he couldn't believe what had just happened. 10+ years of giving it his all and now this. Had he really just turned down his severance package? He didn't even know what was in it. What the hell was he thinking? He felt cheated, but deep down, he knew that Johnson also had a point. He was the one taking the risk, while J.B. had been playing it safe his whole life and following the path others had laid out for him. Still, it would have been nice to get something. Well, that ship had now softly sailed away.
His back was now against the wall. There was only one place left to go— forward. But would his mind let him?
*
His app was still not done, and he would soon be out of an income. In a state of shock, he rushed home. How would he break the news to his wife?
Before he could find the words to say. He noticed Liz standing in the hallway with a glowing smile which made him forget all his worries.
Until he heard the following few words come out of her mouth in slow motion.
"Jack, I'm pregnant!"
Panic. Had now set in full blast.
Time stood still as he couldn't believe what was happening. That severance package didn't sound so bad now, after all. The room was buzzing, and siren-like sounds picked up all around him. He felt something breaking inside of him.
"Jack? Did you hear me?"
He snapped himself out of it.
"Yes, of course. Sorry, oh my god, that's amazing!" He forced a smile as he rushed in to give his wife a hug.
"Jack, What's wrong? Something seems off," she said, realizing he was home early.
His cover was blown.
After catching his breath and taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he explained the situation. The timing couldn't have been worse.
"Oh, Jack, honey. I'm so sorry. Don't worry; you'll find a new job in no time. That Johnson always gave me the creeps anyway. I knew he was a sleazeball the minute I saw him. I think this is the best thing that could have happened to you."
Jack wasn't listening. He was too caught up in his emotions.
"I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have negotiated some equity when I got that job. I just didn't know how these things worked back then." He shouted angrily.
"It's fine, honey! It's just some money. We already have plenty. You never cared about this stuff anyway." consoled Liz.
"I know, I just feel cheated. I spent my whole life building that place and got nothing in return."
"That's not true, Jack. You've grown so much. You are the head of multiple departments. People look up to you. You have prestige, status, respect."
"Had Liz, Had! Now I've got nothing. Besides, I never wanted to do any of those things. I just wanted to follow my own path."
"Well, Jack, why don't you launch your app then? You will have all the equity in the world, and you can even ask some of your old team who got laid off to come work for you. Everyone loved you there."
"It's just. It's just. It's not good enough! I've overcomplicated it, Liz. I always just mess things up. I don't even remember how it works anymore. It's been so long, damn it, since I've really worked on this stuff."
He couldn't think straight now. He was wobbling as he walked around the house.
“You've always had a different way of looking at the world, Jack. That's why I fell for you in the first place. Just remember that at some point, you have to start believing in yourself. You have your two #1 fans cheering for you now." said Liz with a smile.
Her kind words brought him back into the moment. He decided to forget about what had happened and spend the rest of the day with Liz instead. Right now, it was time to celebrate!
Later that night, once Liz fell asleep, he opened up his laptop, hoping to get his app going again. But he couldn't get himself to focus like in the old days. Had he really lost his edge? All those years being a manager, and now he couldn't get his drive back. He tried for a few days to get back on top of it, but there was no creativity to be found. He stared aimlessly at the screen as he couldn't quite grasp how his former self had managed to make such a mess of things. The lights were all green this time, but he still couldn't see the vision. He turned on the T.V. The news was sour as usual, and Johnson's words about the recession were still looming deep in his subconscious years later.
He soon grew frustrated and gave up on his futile attempts. With the baby on the way, he was even more afraid to take the risk. "Who am I kidding? Maybe Johnson was right. I'm just not cut out for this."
He walks in sheepishly with his head down.
"It's not ready, Liz. I'm sorry, I just need more time. I'm going to the career fair at the convention center this weekend. They'll have a bunch of recruiters there. I'll be able to get a much better job in no time. I need to get my head back on straight, and then I can work on the app on the side. "
He couldn't contain his tears anymore as Liz gave him a hug. That was the only thing he needed at that moment.
Over 10 years of working on his projects on the side and he was right where he started. This time the tables had turned. Instead of focusing on his own dreams, he was willingly subjecting himself to a career fair. The old Jackson Barnes was nowhere to be found. Something was still holding him back.
*
He got his resume ready three days later but hated every moment. Recounting everything he had done to build Johnson's company, he was filled with disbelief. He printed 100 business cards and was ready for the job fair, but deep down, he knew this wasn't where he belonged. He wouldn't be able to work anywhere again, not after what happened with Johnson.
He entered the convention center. It was massive. There were flashing screens everywhere, making him feel like he was at Times Square, crossed with a cubicle farm.
Thousands of people all around him. They all seemed more qualified than he was. He even questioned whether he could find a job at all. He had never even done an interview before. Taking the easy way with Johnson didn't turn out to be such a blessing in the long run, after all. He should have believed in himself and taken the hard way.
He walked around aimlessly until he found a booth that caught his eye. He was about to head over and get himself a new job when he caught another glimpse of something. It was a familiar face he could recognize anywhere.
"Max! long time no see, buddy." He said with a nervous smile, trying to hide the fact that he was now unemployed.
"Woh... Jack! What are you doing here, you old dog?" quipped Max as he rushed in to hug Jack. He had a sudden sense of Deja-Vu.
In reality, Jack was only a few years older than Max. But his relentless work ethic had caused him to rise the ranks swiftly at a young age.
"How's Bubblesoft?" asked Jack, hoping to find some leads about any openings.
"Bubblewhat? .. Oh yeah, right. Duh. Forgot about that. Yeah, you know how it is. It's all the same. Just another job, really. I'm working part-time now, barely even giving it much thought," joked Max.
Jack was now confused. His thoughts started firing like a machine gun. How is he just working part-time? How can he afford to live like that? What about the economy and the recession looming? Doesn't he care about any of this? What is he doing with his life?
Max responded before Jack could reply.
"I'm building an app on the side. That's my real project. The job is just a side hustle now. I just do my best and leave everything in the office. No drama, no drain, no hassle."
"An app!?" scoffed Jack as if he had just been punched in the face.
"Here, I'll show you what I got so far," replied Max before Jack could get his thoughts together.
He takes out his phone and opens up an app with a scribbled-looking icon. It looked something quite similar, in fact much better than what Jack had been building now for the last few years and couldn't even remember how to get working anymore.
In a state of shock, Jack didn't know what hit him.
"Wow… You umm.. made this?"
"Yeah, I've been learning how to code on the side. Started last year with some courses on Udemy and practiced every minute I got by writing my own sample projects and reading books. Earlier this year, I decided it was time to go for it. I started building this a few months back. It's still a prototype, and I still have to work out some kinks to make it shippable, but I'd say I'll get there in a few months tops."
Jack was speechless.
He had spent the last few years building an app very similar to this and was still struggling. He'd been coding for over 10 years and considered himself an expert. What was going on? Max, on the other hand, was a frikkin ARTIST. He didn't even know how to code the last time Jack saw him. How did he manage to pull THIS off?
"Umm, what language did you build this in?" whimpered Jack, now trying to make small talk and mask his surprise.
"Oh, duh, it's an iPhone app, so I obviously learned Swift. Why would you use anything else these days?" replied Max.
"Well, I usually build mine in C++," snapped Jack defensively.
"Wow, C++ for an iPhone app!? That's wild. What are you, a dinosaur?" joked Max.
"Uhh, It's what I know best. I have years of experience and have always built my stuff in that. It would be much faster than using something I don't know," argued Jack, although now questioning the words as they came out of his mouth.
"The world has evolved, Jack. I looked into learning C++, but it would take too long, so I just took the fast path. Swift has thousands of hours of development behind it and is specifically designed to make building iPhone apps easier. So we might as well leverage all the tools available, right?"
The sky turns orange as the light peaks in from the nearby windows. The world moves fast, indeed. Jack stands there, frozen in time. He was being taught how to code by a complete novice. The room was now spinning like a blurry spindle. The lights only seem bright when you can't escape their gaze. Max had just completely shattered everything he had ever known. He begins to ponder … "I've been fooling myself all along. I'm no expert. I'm just stuck in my old ways."
The room dissolves entirely, and the light floods in like hot water escaping its boiling point in a pressure cooker. The ocean, mountains, and sky soon follow, imploding in a flash of light so intense it all submerged into one bright pearl, giving life to the entire universe before his eyes. Time stopped once more as he was frozen in space with no sight of himself.
At the moment which stood still, he could peak into the future and see the wise words quoted in next week's flyby … "In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind, there are few." His Ego had now been shattered, and something inside him started to shift. *SNAP*. He could feel his brain getting rewired. His eyes were wide open now, back straight up. The bright pearl explodes, giving rise to everything once more. He could see the world being placed together piece by piece, followed by the room and everything around him. J.B. was starting to lift himself up. He was finally starting to look up and see the bigger picture.
*POP*
"Well, I'll be damned. I'm impressed, Max. What do you plan to do with this?" said J.B., now genuinely curious.
"What do you mean do with this? I'm going to launch it and then sell the crap out of it!" snapped Max.
"How are you going to get noticed? It's a crowded market," questioned J.B.
"I'm documenting my journey on Twitter and YouTube. Building some fans for when I launch and getting some huge tips along the way. But right now, I'm still really just learning how to code at the moment. I'll figure that out when I need to." said Max as the words "learning how to code" sent another tremor down Jack's spine. "That's where the fun is, though, right? Figuring things out. If you already know the answer, why bother even doing something?" snapped Max.
Walls were now crumbling before his eyes. He was starting to see a new reality. A reality where he would decide his own path. A reality where he would put his godlike focus on one thing and one thing only— figuring things out. He would go back to the drawing board once again, but this time, he wouldn't be afraid to make mistakes and look like a beginner.
"You know what, Max, I gotta run home. We should catch up sometime." He stuttered in a rush, almost shaking.
"Hey, yeah man. You got it. I'd love to pick your brain on some of this coding stuff."
"Well, you seem to be doing great. But let me know whatever you need."
"You got it, Jack! It's about keeping your circle of influence elevated, you know? And I'd like to have you in mine!" smiled Max as he waved goodbye. Elevated indeed, J.B. had found a positive influence himself, someone much younger than he was, but showing him what was possible when someone believed in themselves.
J.B. rushed out the door in what felt like a drunken stupor. The room was a blur, and he could feel the sweat on his forehead. He opened the door and gasped in all the air he could. He coughed a few times and dropped to his knees. His mind was overloaded. Suddenly, in a flash of insight, he could see the vision. All of it.
He would have to let go of his Ego and fear. That was what was holding him back this whole time. He knew what he had to do. He would go home and start building his product from scratch. This time with the intention of shipping it. He would let go of his need to be always right. He would embrace true failure, ask for feedback and embrace creativity. He would embrace not knowing. For the first time in years, J.B. was about to become a beginner again.
The door opens with a bang as he rushes in, startling Liz.
"Jack, are you alright!?" she shouted with a look of concern.
"Yeah, never been better, babe," he shouted excitedly.
"It's time to fly."
Liz closed in with an excited smile, "You've got this, babe!" she said as she kissed him with a vote of confidence.
*
He goes to his study and immediately starts planning out the rework. He would take all the best parts of his previous experiments and remix them into a new app. His mind was moving at 50,000 miles per hour. He threw out his Ego, along with all the complexity it created. He would just build the minimum required to develop solid functionality, using the latest tools and resources to make his job more manageable. The clock was ticking, and J.B. was putting his foot on the pedal. His creativity had been awakened once more, and it was time to unleash the beast within. That's right, folks. Jackson Barnes was about to be born again.
The next morning, he was up at 5 am without even setting an alarm. He started learning Swift and rebuilding his app from the ground up. He followed a bunch of tutorials, took some courses on Udemy, and built some sample projects to make his mistakes in. He threw out the fluff, discarded more work than his previous self had probably built in a lifetime, and embraced learning with a true beginner's mind.
He was no longer bound by a job. The layoff was a blessing in disguise, and the interaction with Max had fueled his purpose. His golden handcuffs had been unshackled, and he had more than three years in savings now. He would put all his time and energy into building his MVP, A term he had now embraced. He decided not to get a job for now. His frugal lifestyle had actually come in handy. He would give himself a year to get his first project off the ground.
Momentum flies fast when you are on fire. And Jackson Barnes was, indeed, on fire. The rock music was back in full throttle, and if anyone saw him, they would rethink their own potential instantly. Anything is possible when you stop getting in your own way. All he needed was a tiny lift in vision to see the path. The work ethic he had developed over the years would simply take care of the rest. And indeed, it did.
Time blinks once more, and the seconds stretch out to what feels like years. Alpha state was no joke. Jackson Barnes was back and moving at the speed of sound. Whenever he hit an obstacle, he would learn what was needed or ask for help. He no longer kept things to himself in the guise of perfection. He embraced learning, being wrong, not knowing, and experienced more joy and fulfillment than he had ever before. He had his app done in just over three months of pure focus. With over two and a half years in savings and all the experience he could ever need. It was showtime!
He reached the point where he was finally ready for something that had taken him over 10 years to do.
Hit Launch.
This was only the beginning. It was time to let the real learnings begin and feedback pour in. Something he was looking forward to now.
Jackson Barnes was indeed back. With an unshakable smile on his face, that, this time, couldn't even be broken by time itself.
END
Thank you for reading Failure to Launch! How did you like this story?
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If you enjoyed this story, then check out Deja-Vu, A short story about looking up. It may or may not be connected to this one :)