Stolen Potential: Let Them Fail, Then Let Them Cook

Today’s Topics

• Stop Robbing, Please! 😵‍💫

• The Late Night Cook🔥 

  5 Mins Read Time

Stop Robbing, Please! 😵‍💫

By Jo

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is keeping all the knowledge to yourself. Whether it’s in leadership, parenting, or just everyday interactions, micromanaging or over-controlling others only stunts their growth—and in the long run, it comes back to bite you.

Think about it. If people always have to rely on you to make decisions, solve problems, or get things done, you’re not just holding them back—you’re trapping yourself in a cycle of constant responsibility. You’ll always be the go-to, the fixer, the one expected to have all the answers. That might feel good for a while, but eventually, it becomes exhausting.

True leadership, whether in work or life, isn’t about making people dependent—it’s about making them independent. Teaching, guiding, and allowing others to make their own mistakes gives them the tools to succeed without you hovering over them. It’s not about throwing them into the deep end with no support, but about knowing when to step back and let them figure things out.

Over-parenting? Same thing. If you never let a kid experience failure or consequences, they’ll struggle when they finally have to face the real world. Controlling everything doesn’t protect them—it handicaps them.

At the end of the day, knowledge and experience are meant to be shared. When you empower others to grow, you create stronger teams, better relationships, and more freedom for yourself. Give people the opportunity to learn—because if you don’t, you’ll be the one paying for it in the long run.

Urban quote to live by: “Don’t be a Ham“

The Late-Night Cook 🔥

By Marcus

First shift. Second shift. Graveyard shift. Weekend shift…

How many of these have you worked in your lifetime?

I’ve worked every shift imaginable, at every possible hour—sleep-deprived and red-eyed. I’m not sure if that’s a badge of honor or just bad life choices…

What I do know is that each day provides 24 hours of space & opportunity.

🔹 In Part I, 'Your New Year Arc', we focused on reclaiming control and taking the first steps toward meaningful change—no waiting, just action.

🔹 In Part II, 'Faster', we tackled the importance of building momentum, overcoming hesitation, and executing with urgency.

🔹 Now, in Part III, we embrace the odd hours, late shifts, and stolen moments—because anytime can be showtime.

Odd Hours, Greater Results

Remember that time you picked up an extra shift, stayed late at work, or got that last-minute, "Hey, I know it’s short notice, but (insert your favorite co-worker here) called out, and I could really use the help?"

As annoying as it is, you stepped up. Yes, you got paid (hopefully), but this wasn't part of your original plan for the day.

Here’s why that matters:

It proves that with the right motivation, you always have a little more juice left in the tank.

That’s critical because reaching your goals will require late nights, lost sleep, and canceled plans. You’ll have to work through not only physical fatigue but also mental fatigue, which fights you just as hard.

The trick is to put a premium on your time outside of work.

This time is just as important—if not more important—than the hours you spend earning a paycheck.

Your free time is your canvas—where you build, experiment, and execute ideas that can become your escape route.

If you commit just 30 minutes or more to locking in during unconventional hours, you’ll find that the effort compounds quickly. It becomes easier to "pick up an extra shift" for your own development.

Anytime is Showtime

I get it—the "living for the weekend" mentality, counting down the hours until you're off work.

But the challenge is learning how to keep the fire burning after hours.

You have to develop a mode you can switch into at will.

That being said, there is a point where rest becomes necessary—what I call the "fatigue-to-output ratio."

This is when your output is so impaired by exhaustion that pushing forward is counterproductive—a lesson I learned the hard way. (I’ll share that failure in a couple of weeks.) But until you reach that limit, push through.

Repurpose your downtime into an investment in yourself and in your future. Try it for a few weeks. If you’re truly making an effort, you’ll start noticing small changes that could compound into greatness.

The only way to get rid of the life you’re tired of is to keep pushing forward beyond failure.