I hope you fail in life.

No seriously.

I hope you fail in everything you do.

Because the ONLY shortcut to success, is to fail as fast as you can.

In this letter, I've distilled a key lesson from Andrew Huberman's Huberman Lab podcast episode on learning faster through failure—making it practical for everyday life and compact enough to read while taking a sh*t.

Without further ado, here is the science behind how failing helps you become successful (summary at the end):

Understanding The Brain (Neuroplasticity)

You might think that everything we do, and experience changes our brain.

Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you've been lied to your entire life...

It's actually neurochemicals that change how our brain works.

And these neurochemicals contribute to what is called neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to rewire itself through new information and experiences.

But for that to happen, the right neurochemical environment needs to be in place. When you push yourself to learn something new or overcome a challenge, these chemicals help solidify those changes, literally reshaping your brain.

Examples of these chemicals include:

• Dopamine – The “motivation” chemical. Fuels reward-seeking behavior and focus, reinforcing new learning pathways. High dopamine levels make learning feel exciting, driving neuroplasticity forward.

• Serotonin – The “mood stabilizer.” Regulates emotions, preventing stress from hindering learning. A balanced mood keeps your brain in the optimal state for long-term plasticity.

• Acetylcholine – The “focus booster.” Sharpens attention and strengthens neural connections, making new knowledge stick.

• Norepinephrine – The “alertness enhancer.” Heightens focus and response times, helping the brain adapt quickly to new situations.

• Endorphins – The “pain relievers.” Reduce discomfort during learning, reinforcing positive neuroplastic changes.

• Cortisol – The “stress regulator.” In short bursts, it enhances memory formation, but too much can weaken neuroplasticity.

• Oxytocin – The “social bonding” chemical. Strengthens learning through collaboration and emotional connection.

Think of it as a cocktail; our brain needs a variety of different chemicals to function, helping us learn, adapt, and even rewire our thinking—this is the essence of neuroplasticity.

It might also help to distinguish plasticity into two groups: positive plasticity and negative plasticity:

So, how do you optimize these chemicals to fuel your success? You have to leverage frustration.

Every time you struggle, make mistakes, or push beyond your comfort zone, your brain releases these chemicals to strengthen neural pathways.

Errors and frustration are signals for neuroplasticity—they literally tell your brain to 'lock in' and do better next time.

If you want to reshape your mind, the next time you're frustrated and fail at something, tell yourself, "it's a learning experience."

I know it sounds cliche as f*ck, but by pushing through frustration and reminding yourself everything will be okay, allows you to leverage both negative and positive plasticity.

(The negative plasticity being the struggling part, and the positive plasticity being the dopamine from reassuring yourself.)

Neuroplasticity is The Key to Success

In simple terms, neuroplasticity is your brain's ability to adapt and change.

As we discussed, you could 'make' neuroplasticity (make your brain more susceptible to learning) by making errors.

And how failing notifies your brain that something isn't working, and prompts it fix the problem by looking for a way to make the next attempt better.

That's why the fastest path to learning—and the quickest route to success—is to fail fast, make mistakes, and learn from them.

This is your golden ticket to success that NO ONE else has because when the average person experiences a roadblock, they will likely give up.

You, on the other hand, after reading this letter, will understand that overcoming that roadblock is the only way to become a better version of yourself.

(So, you are already one colossal step ahead of your competition by being subscribed to this newsletter 😉)

Use this concept of neuroplasticity and leveraging frustration/struggle to aid your learning to help you master high-value skills.

• If you want to learn coding; execute, fail, learn, repeat

• If you want to learn marketing; execute, fail, learn, repeat

• If you want to learn web design; execute, fail, learn, repeat

• If you want to learn copywriting; execute, fail, learn, repeat

• If you want to learn public speaking; execute, fail, learn, repeat

You could do the same thing with turning your problems into your own systems/routines:

• Use your 'lack of focus problem' to create a meditation routine

• Use your 'unhealthy body problem' to create a workout regime

• Use your 'writer's block problem' to create an idea generation system

• Use your 'time management problem' to create a time-blocking system

• Use your 'procrastination problem' to create a to-do list that actually works

All of these things can then potentially be turned into future product or services you could sell for $$$.

Understanding neuroplasticity and how the brain grows, will help you turn your failures into successes.

Summary

1. Push Beyond Comfort - Challenge yourself with something new. Your brain won't change unless it's forced to adapt.

2. Embrace Mistakes - Errors trigger neuroplasticity. Each mistake signals your brain to adjust and improve .

3. Stay Consistently Frustrated (But Not Stuck) - Frustration fuels learning, but only if you persist. Stick with the challenge long enough for real brain rewiring to happen.

4. Repeat - The more you struggle and overcome, the stronger your neural pathways become. With each attempt, your brain refines and strengthens its new skills.

Bottom Line: The fastest way to learn and succeed? Fail fast, make mistakes, and keep going. Your brain is designed to adapt—give it the right challenges, and it will.