Three Blank Lines (2 Min Read) | Vol. 218

August 28, 2026

“We are not defined by our toughest seasons or our worst mistakes. They are part of the story but not the whole story.” – Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

Three Blank Lines

I’ve failed. Plenty. I’ve failed at personal projects. Failed to make a profit. And I’ve failed people counting on me not to fail. I’ve given my best and still failed privately and publicly. 

In these moments, it’s easy to marinate in disappointment and self-doubt. To catastrophize about how this failure marks the beginning of the ultimate descent. I’m over. I’ll never bounce back. This one will headline my obituary. 

It’s hard to see clearly in the moment. 

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe shared her journaling habit that’s an antidote to this thinking. When something goes wrong – a setback, a disappointment, a failure – she captures the moment in her journal. Then she leaves three or four blank lines underneath. Blank space. On purpose.

Every quarter she goes back and fills in the blanks. Because of this, this happened. Or simply, that wasn’t the end of the story. She’s journaling. But she’s also collecting evidence. Evidence that failure isn’t always what we think it is. 

Dr. Robyne understands many people quit before they reach the end of the chapter meant for them. We need reminders of our resilience. 

High achievers are the worst about this. They’re built to look forward, measuring the distance between where they are and where they want to be. The rear-view mirror isn’t something they think about much. Some of them ripped it off the windshield and chucked it out the window.

Setbacks sting. Revisiting them isn’t always comfortable. But that’s where we get to revise the story. 

It just takes ten minutes a quarter.

Open your calendar or revisit your notes from the last three months. Find the thing that went sideways. Then finish the sentence. Because of this, what happened?

Some won’t have an answer yet. That’s ok. Leave the lines blank and come back next quarter.

Given enough time, the story gets a new ending. 

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What setback am I still calling a failure that might only be unfinished?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Author | CEO | Coach