They Call It Excellence. I Call It Fear.

An open note to the generation that was never allowed to fail

⸻

You are not broken.

You are tired.

Tired of having to be impressive.
Tired of having to be “on”.
Tired of feeling like one wrong move will erase you.

Somewhere along the way, you were told that:
• mistakes are shameful
• failure is permanent
• falling behind means you are disposable

So you stopped trying new things.
You stopped being messy.
You stopped being human.

You learned to be careful instead.

But here is the truth no one teaches you:

No one you admire got there by being perfect.

Not NBA players.
Not models.
Not musicians.
Not entrepreneurs.
Not writers.
Not your favorite influencer.

They failed.
They embarrassed themselves.
They chose wrong.
They quit things.
They started over.

They just did it before you were watching.

You are fifteen.
You are eighteen.
You are twenty-five.

You are not supposed to know who you are yet.

You are supposed to:
• try things
• mess up
• change your mind
• disappoint people
• outgrow versions of yourself

That’s not weakness.
That’s development.

But the world sells you a lie:

“Be exceptional early, or you are nothing.”

So everyone pretends:
• to have it together
• to have a plan
• to be confident

While quietly panicking inside.

Here is something radical:

You are allowed to be ordinary while you become extraordinary.

You are allowed to be slow.
You are allowed to be lost.
You are allowed to be bad at things.

That’s how people grow.

Even at 40.
Even at 60.

You got fired?
Good. Now you’re not trapped anymore.

You changed your mind?
Good. That means you’re awake.

You failed?
Good. That means you tried something real.

The only real failure is building a life you never chose, just because you were afraid to look foolish.

You don’t owe anyone perfection.

You owe yourself a life that actually belongs to you.

— L.P.