A Fear of Failure
Miha Matlievski is known as the “Fail coach.” In this episode, we explore how he turned some of life’s epic failures into an empire. These days, warmed with his knowledge and experience, Miha teaches other people how to dream big and strive for spectacular failure because failure is proof that you’re trying and learning, and (most importantly), making progress.
A life of epic failures
Because Miha felt high school wasn’t important, he dropped out at the age of 15. Believing that solid work experience was the golden ticket, he began working for his father’s small business. That worked out alright, for a while. Then, suddenly, his father was diagnosed with cancer and died three weeks later.
As an only child, Miha had expectations of taking over his father’s company. Yet, something didn’t seem right! Even while running the family business, he was building his own personal empire.
Accountability supports growth
Miha says his childhood was perfect! Nobody ever held him accountable for anything. He was a golden child! Nothing he did was considered wrong by his parents and he lived as a self-proclaimed “king.”
But all of that was about to change because real life doesn’t work like that!
Miha quickly discovered that some basic life skills were missing due to his pampered upbringing. He didn’t know how to wake up with an alarm clock or change a light bulb. His parents took responsibility for everything, allowing him to live a carefully, fun-filled existence that was not sustainable in adulthood or entrepreneurship.
This, he says, was mainly because his parents faced so many adversities in their childhood days and wanted to make life comfortable for him. Unfortunately, they failed to find a balance. Hence, he lacked basic life skills.
versed in blaming all his problems on someone or something else, like the government, the real estate crisis, or politics.
But this time was different. For the first time in his life, Miha says, he decided to take ownership of his misfortune. This allowed him to acknowledge that his mistakes had also led to learning and growth. He was learning to Fail Forward!
Failure is a path to success
Realizing that he had been successful at one point and that his skills were valuable, Miha chose this moment for his personal, mental, and physical liberation. He started an intentional journey towards personal and business development.
This new approach leads to very different results.
Becoming the “Fail Coach”
Miha began attending meetups and events. These events allowed him to meet other entrepreneurs and have insightful conversations. This, in turn, led to him into mentoring. He was very honest about his story and his failures, thus the term “Fail Coach” was born.
When things do not go exactly as planned, we consider them failures. This is a dangerous mindset.
Miha shares that when things don’t go as you hoped or intended, you’re better served to react logically rather than emotionally. Emotions cloud our vision. They strip us of the ability to figure out the mistakes, learn from them, and reach our goals.
Finding the lessons rather than dying in failure
Failure is the number one cause of suicide among entrepreneurs and the fear of failure is the number one dream killer. Miha admits that being a Fail Coach doesn’t mean that he doesn’t fail anymore. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. He fails often but because he has solid systems in place, he recognizes failure much sooner and he can react and redirect more quickly. In addition, stepping out of comfort zones is important when learning to grow from failure.
For Miha, giving back and finding ways to reach out to others is one way to be a billionaire at heart.
The Gift of Gratitude
Miha (and our host, Heather) believe that Gratitude is a powerful, impactful, and game-changing thing. Every single day Miha does something to bring values to others and he keeps a small gratitude journal with him at all times! He feels so much richer with his new life than he ever did with his billion dollars.
Grab a copy of Heather Vickery's Gratitude Journals today!
Grow Grateful, A Gratitude Journal for kids and families.
