I fucked up.

I don’t usually take shortcuts, especially with my work, but the last 2 weeks have been weird. I overpromised, underdelivered, and embarrassed my client in front of his client.

You know why.

Because he had so much confidence in me, and was ready to defend any questions that the client had. But when he was shown the silliest mistakes I made, he really couldn’t do anything about it.

So he was left red and embarrassed.

He didn’t fire me (although now I am thinking he should have) and said everybody makes mistakes, let’s rework it. I have till Monday to redo the single worst mistake I have made in my professional career.

Why am I telling you this?
Come to think of it… Why didn’t he fire me? Or give an ultimatum? Or say, “One more mistake, and you are out!”

Because it was a first. I have been working with him for almost 2 years now, and that gave him the confidence, the trust in me, that he was prepared to defend my work.

That was my differentiator.
Quality work.

I compromised on it once, and all hell broke loose (though it could have been worse).

I was thinking about differentiators after that and realised…
I lost my differentiator in this newsletter by trying to fit it into a template.

This has always been about being able to share every thought and experience that I have, raw and real, as I have it. That gives this newsletter personality. The gifs are the favorite thing for so many people!!

But trying to fit the norm, I almost killed the personality my newsletter comes with.

Anyone can pick that template, fill the sections, and share it as their own… But this raw and real me cannot be copied, and we are going to stick with that.

Apologies for making a new promise every week and not following through, but then that is how we learn and grow, isn’t it?

Here’s wishing you find your differentiator, and when you do, may you hold it tight!

Gotta go, rework to undo the blunder I made!
-Nikita