Ever failed? Spectacularly? Those of you around this blog for a while know that I describe myself as “a failed church planter”, and some of you know that I intentionally choose this term to raise an eyebrow here or there.. My wife hates the term, because she knows the reality that we didn’t fail; that the Kingdom of God grew, that people came to faith for the first or second or yet another time, and that our family survived the process intact. But still, the church failed, right?
Former Pets.com CEO Julie Wainright is known as one of the most spectacular failures as a business leader in recent memory. The same week that she shut down Pets.com, her husband left their marriage. You might assume that she’s learned a thing or two about moving past failure, and you’d be right.
In this must-read article from Julie’s new startup, SmartNow.com, Julie describes five life-changing mistakes she made, and how she moved past them.
Mistake 1: I allowed others to define me.
Mistake 2: I built my image of myself on two main supporting pillars.
Mistake 3: I stopped believing in myself.
Mistake 4: I stopped taking care of myself.
Mistake 5: Allowing my head to rule my heart.
I’m super impressed by Julie’s story and the willingness she has to speak from brokenness. I suspect that you will be, too.
pat loughery 
Leave a comment