You Failed Because You Closed The Door On Your Success

Inspired by true events.

Sitting in the restaurant waiting on Gorja, Teri said to Rose as she glanced at the heart-shaped clock over the door at the entrance, “She was arguing with Lance about getting a job when I spoke with her an hour ago. I hope she didn’t break up with him.”

“He is still unemployed?” Rose asked, glancing at the entrance. “It’s been more than a year since he lost his job with the plumbing company.”

“That’s the part I don’t get,” Teri said, taking up a menu. “He is a good plumber, so why can’t he keep a job?”

“She is here. Ask her,” Rose suggested.

Teri’s eyes followed Rose’s to the entrance.

“Sorry, I am late,” Gorja apologized, sitting down, then taking up a menu.

Their silence alerted her, and she released with sadness in her heart and eyes, “Lance and I broke up.”

“We are so sorry to hear that,” they both said, easing over to hug her.

She sighed, then eased away seconds later, wiping the tears from her eyes with napkins from the table.

“He can’t keep a job. Is that why?” Rose asked.

“No,” she said, nodding while reading the menu. “I can’t be in a relationship with someone who keeps closing the door on success.”

“How does anyone close the door on their success?” Rose demands.

Gorja signaled the waitress, who rushed over quickly. Took their orders and left.

Gorja elaborated, “He is a damn good plumber, but he does a sloppy job everywhere he works. So, no one wants to rehire him, and they refuse to recommend him to continue to self-destruct.”

Teri and Rose listened, their mouths agape. Then gulped down their shock.

Gorja went on, “Because of his incompetence, he is unable to gain employment. I have to be working longer hours, and I can’t save anything.”

“What does he say?” Rose asked, reaching over to squeeze her right hand in support.

“That’s his best,” Gorja answered with a heavy sigh, nodding in regret. Squeezing back her hand before pulling away.

“But his best is failing him,” Teri said.

“He is unaware, and I refuse to allow him to close the door on my success,” Gorja stressed.

“Wow!” Teri exclaimed. “I wasn’t aware that when we don’t do our best, we can close the door on our own success.”

“I stuck with him for one year. Most of his tools are left at the jobs that he messed up and should have gone back to,” she complained in regret.

“What!” Rose cried out, then covered her mouth as the waitress pushed a cart towards them with their orders.

Taking her dish off the cart, Gorja shared, “They paid someone to complete the job and hold on to his tools until he can pay them back what they paid to do what he should have done.”

“So, if someone wants to hire him who doesn’t know about his incompetence, he has no tools to work with!” Rose said, taking her dish off the cart.

“I am not buying him any more tools,” Gorja said, sipping her pineapple orange juice.

“Something is wrong with him,” Teri said, taking her dish off the cart.

“It’s his life. His failure. His success. Only he can open the door to his success. I can’t do it for him,” Gorja said, digging into her Caesar Salad.

I hired a mason to do some work at my house. He was paid in full but did only half of the job. He left his tools at my house to return to complete the job. It’s been almost a year, and he has been carrying us around and around. I got someone to finish the job. Still has his tools. He closed the door on his success because I can’t recommend him to anyone. I found out that’s his habit, as no one in his community will hire him. We didn’t know.

Humans close the door on their own success when they don’t do their best. They will open the door and keep it open when their best becomes involuntary actions. — Annelise Lords

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.