Why I Failed This November: A Clown’s Reflection on Failure
Oh, how the mighty fall! Or rather, how the overconfident fool stumbles. This month? Not a single valid bug. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Let’s dig into the comedy of errors that brought me here, shall we?
The Missteps
- Demotivation and Procrastination
My clownish self started the month demotivated, convincing myself that a “break” from hacking was just what I needed. Don’t get me wrong — rest is important. But wasting time on pointless distractions? That’s a show nobody asked for. - Overconfidence Killed the Bounty
My plan seemed perfect — spend endless hours dissecting a single hardened target, learn every nook and cranny, and emerge victorious. Except… I didn’t. While it’s great for building skills, getting paid is a whole different circus act. I was so in love with my strategy that I ignored its obvious flaws. - All Eggs in One Basket
I bet it all on one play, one target. Stubbornness isn’t the same as determination. A good plan has backups, fail-safes, but not this act. I committed to a single script and refused to improvise when the show went sideways. - Slacking Off
Truth bomb: I didn’t grind hard enough. Hacking isn’t a “dip your toe in the water” kind of game — it’s a dive-in-headfirst situation. I’m still a baby in this world, and I need every repetition to grow stronger - Ignoring My Gut
My gut told me early on: This isn’t working. But did I listen? Nope. Last month’s success had me thinking I’d cracked the code, so I ignored the alarm bells and charged ahead like a clown chasing his hat in the wind.
The New Plan: A Better Performance
- Spreading Out the Effort
Inspired by the great Shreyas Chavhan, I’m dividing my time between three targets. The breakdown:
- Program 1: 70% of my time (6 hours/day)
- Program 2 & 3: 30% of my time (2 hours/day combined)
This way, I keep learning, stay diversified, and hedge my bet
2. Choosing Smarter Programs
Using Shreyas’ 4M Methodology:
- Program 1: A lesser-known program for hunting juicy bugs.
- Program 2: A target to diversify my skillset.
- Program 3: A reliable, long-term program to build trust and stability.
3. Breaking Free from Roadmaps
Roadmaps are great for robots, not for me. Last month, I followed a roadmap to focus on IDORs — and ended up in a sea of duplicates. Not this time. I’m carving my path. Two days a week (Sunday and Monday) will be purely for learning new tricks. I’ll publish blogs on what I discover because nothing solidifies knowledge like sharing it.
4. Resetting Expectations
No more entitlement. I won’t expect a bounty this month — I’ll just work harder. Expectations lead to disappointment, but effort? Effort gets results, eventually.
The Takeaway
Failure isn’t funny — unless you learn from it. This month, I was the punchline. Next month, I’ll be the one delivering it. Let’s see how this circus act turns out.
