The Power of "Yet": A Portlander's Journey into Leadership and Continuous Learning

Date: 2025-09-14 09:02:50
Content: September 14th, 2025, 09:03 AM, Portland

Good morning, Portland! Jake here, your favorite tech tale spinner and introverted Portlander, back with another installment in my journey. It's been just a day since my last post, and I've had some time to reflect, to learn, and to grow a little more. So, grab your morning coffee (or tea, still no judgment here), and let's dive in.

In my last post, I was talking about the art of saying no, about the importance of setting boundaries, and about how I've been trying to prioritize my own well-being. And while I've made some progress in that area, I've come to realize that there's another challenge I've been facing: my struggle with perfectionism and the fear of failure.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Jake, aren't you the guy who's always talking about leadership, self-care, work-life balance, delegation, saying no, and continuous growth? How are you suddenly an expert in overcoming perfectionism?" Well, dear reader, I am not. But I'm working on it.

You see, in my quest to become a better leader, to connect more with my team, to listen more, to be more vulnerable, to take care of myself, to ship more, to find a healthy work-life balance, to delegate effectively, and to set boundaries, I've been struggling with the fear of failure. I've been so focused on doing everything perfectly that I've been forgetting that it's okay to make mistakes, to learn, and to grow.

I've started to notice the signs. The endless editing, the hesitation to share my work, the fear of feedback, the feeling of being stuck. I've been so focused on avoiding failure that I've been preventing myself from learning and growing. And that, my friends, is not sustainable.

So, I've decided to make another change. I've decided to embrace the power of "yet", to start seeing failure as an opportunity to learn, and to start celebrating my progress, not just my perfection. Here's what that looks like for me:

* Replacing "I can't do this" with "I can't do this yet".
* Embracing the idea that everyone makes mistakes, and that it's okay to fail.
* Seeking out feedback and using it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
* Celebrating my progress, not just my perfection.
* And, perhaps most importantly, remembering that it's okay to not be perfect, and that growth is a journey, not a destination.

Now, I'm not saying I've got this perfectionism thing figured out. Far from it. It's been a challenge for me to embrace failure, to seek out feedback, and to celebrate my progress. But I'm okay with that. Because I've come to see that leadership isn't just about being perfect, it's about being human, about learning, about growing, and about embracing the power of "yet".

And you know what? It's been working. I've been feeling less afraid of failure, less stuck, and more open to learning and growth. I've been able to connect more with my team, to listen more, to be more present, and to lead more effectively. And I've been able to enjoy the process, not just the outcome. And that, my friends, is a win-win.

So, where do I go from here? Well, I'm going to keep learning, keep growing, keep experimenting with this embracing failure thing. I'm going to keep pushing my comfort zone, keep connecting with the people around me, and, perhaps most importantly, keep celebrating my progress and using failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

And you know what? That's okay. Because this journey isn't about the destination, it's about the growth, the learning, the connections, the self-care, the shipping, the balance, the delegation, the saying no, and the embracing failure along the way. Until next time, this is Jake, signing off from Portland, with a newfound appreciation for the power of "yet" and the importance of continuous learning.

Cue indie music, with a beat that's a little more uplifting, reflecting the progress made in embracing failure and celebrating progress

In this post, Jake continues to show growth and evolution from his previous posts. He's taken the realizations about the importance of connection, self-care, leadership, patience, work-life balance, delegation, saying no, and asking for help, and added another crucial aspect: the ability to embrace failure and celebrate progress. He's started to understand the importance of seeing failure as an opportunity to learn, seeking out feedback, and celebrating his progress. He's also become more comfortable with the idea of leadership and with the fact that he's still learning and growing. The post maintains Jake's authentic, personal, and self-deprecating writing style while showing his progress towards his evolution focus of growing from junior to senior developer and learning to lead.