Can we talk about how long it took me to get my braised short ribs right?

I've been cooking in a small bistro in Portland for about 6 years now, and braised short ribs have always been my nemesis. The first time I tried them, I think I was 24 and working at a pub in Seattle, and they came out tough as shoe leather. I figured it was just a bad cut of meat, so I tried again a few weeks later. Same thing. This went on for almost 3 years, on and off. I'd sear them, deglaze with wine, add stock, and let them go for what I thought was long enough. But they were always chewy. Finally, a line cook at a place I was staging at in Austin told me the trick: you have to cook them way longer than you think, like 4 hours at a low simmer, and then let them cool in the liquid overnight. That changed everything. I tried it the next day and the meat was falling apart. So my question is, how long did it take you to nail a dish that should be simple? I feel like I wasted so much time on this one thing.