Your failure as a writer is like spoiled milk in the fridge.

The longer it sits, the worse it gets.

Failure is like spoiled milk.

You can sniff it, wrinkle your nose, and still shove it back in the fridge hoping someone else will deal with it. But the longer it sits, the worse it gets.

That’s how most companies treat failure. They “reorganize.” They shift roles, rename divisions, slap a fresh coat of paint on a sinking ship. But paint can’t fix rot.

The law of failure says: Failure is not something you fix. Failure is something you face.

IBM should’ve dropped copiers. Xerox should’ve abandoned computers. American Motors should’ve walked away from passenger cars and doubled down on Jeep. Every year they delayed was like leaving that spoiled milk carton right where it was.

The Japanese have a cultural distinction we’d do well to steal. It’s one thing to say we were wrong. That spreads the guilt like butter on toast—everyone gets a thin layer, but no one actually tastes it. It’s another thing entirely to say I was wrong.

That’s the kind of egoless confession that makes companies (and people) stronger.

Sam Walton understood this at Walmart. His motto wasn’t “ready, aim, fire.” It was “ready, fire, aim.” Translation: try it, miss, learn, and adjust. Nobody lost their job for an experiment that failed. They only lost their job if they made the same mistake twice.

But here’s the rub: most executive status leaders don’t think that way.

They don’t ask, “What’s best for the company?” They ask, “What keeps my career intact? Stakeholders happy? Money flowing?” Bold moves get neutered by fear. Whole product lines get dragged along, zombie-style, because killing them would bruise an executive’s résumé.

Nobody ever gets fired for the bold move they didn’t make.

Innovation often dies at the altar of self-preservation.

Contrast that with 3M. Art Fry, the scientist behind Post-it Notes, spent a dozen years developing and refining the idea. Not because it was easy, but because 3M gave it room to fail and rise again. The result became known as the billion-dollar accident.

For Christian writers and marketers, here’s the pivot: Failure is never final unless pride makes it so.

Scripture says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Sometimes the truth you need to face is simply:

• This campaign didn’t work.

• This post isn’t connecting.

• This offer fell flat.

Cool, that’s the beginning. The only true failure is choosing to quit.

Don’t put spoiled milk back in the fridge. Freedom in business, in writing, in faith always begins with confession.

---

MY BEST FINDS

I scoured the internet, and here are the best things I could find this week. If you find something worth sharing with the rest of the Lab, reply to this email!

📧 Email

• LinkedIn newsletters are dead. You should do this instead (LinkedIn)

• Number 3 is the silent killer that most companies are not utilizing in their email (LinkedIn)

💡 Marketing

• 10 timeless marketing tactics that ALWAYS work (Newsletter Operator)

• Inside NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Set - BTS vids always get attention (YouTube)

👀 ICYMI

• This shoe is worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio (LinkedIn)

• Good things come to those who sacrifice (Christian Story Lab)

~

Keep writing what matters,

— Payton

P.S. You didn’t start your business to become a full-time digital babysitter. If you’re still cranking out your own emails, it’s time to hand that off. My team can ghost your content so you can get back to growing 👻 VeryGoodGhost(writing) Agency