If you read my first blog post, visited the blog, or stumbled across one of my social media accounts, you’re probably wondering about the name: The Young Napoleon Project.
I’d say you aren’t the first person to ask, but this project has never really been public before, so you might actually be the first.
Growing up, I was led to believe that there might be some ancestral connection between my family and General George B. McClellan of the Civil War. After all, he shared my dad’s name. Since then, my dad has done some research and we no longer believe there is a direct connection, but the story stuck with me.
Why am I talking about a Civil War general, and what does that have to do with the name of this blog?
Well, General George B. McClellan’s nickname was “The Young Napoleon.” He earned that nickname because he was considered a brilliant strategist, much like Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
But that’s not why I chose the name.
What fascinated me about McClellan wasn’t his reputation as a strategist. It was his reputation for inaction.
Despite being highly intelligent and exceptionally skilled at planning, he became known for overanalyzing situations, delaying decisions, and failing to act when action was required. He would plan, prepare, and strategize, only to hesitate when it was time to move.
And that reminded me of someone.
Me.
For more than a decade, I have overthought, overplanned, and underexecuted this project.
I’ve built productivity systems. I’ve redesigned productivity systems. I’ve created plans for diet and exercise. I’ve created plans for writing. I’ve spent countless hours brainstorming, organizing, tracking, and preparing.
Then I would hit the smallest roadblock.
One bad day.
One missed workout.
One unexpected expense.
One disruption to the routine.
And suddenly the entire system would come crashing down around me.
I’d pick up the pieces, convince myself I needed a better plan, and start over.
Again.
And again.
And again.
I know I’m not the only perfectionist in the world.
I know I’m not the only overthinker.
And while I may not be related to General McClellan, I do share something with him: a tendency to spend too much time preparing and not enough time acting.
I’ve lost more than a decade that could have been spent building this project. I’ll never get that time back.
That’s why I chose the name The Young Napoleon Project.
Not because I admire inaction, but because I want to be reminded of the cost of it.
The name serves as a reminder that all the planning, all the strategy, all the brainstorming, and all the perfect systems in the world don’t matter if I don’t take action.
For years, that was my downfall.
My hope is that it won’t be anymore.
The Young Napoleon Project 