ARCHIVED March 31, 2011

Lesson of the Day is:   Fail Faster

As human beings we can pretty much assume that we would all prefer to never fail at all. But the counterpoint is that, because we are human beings, we are destined to fail. The problem is that the fear of that failure and desire to be perfect, accepted or right,  strings out the process of failure sometimes in years!! We as entrepreneurs and human beings in general have the ability to pivot, course correct and learn. The faster you get to the failing part, the faster you reap the benefits of that failure and create a better future, whether for the world or simply for yourself.

If you are going to fail at something, it is never because YOU were wrong or that YOU have no talent for whatever it is you are doing. What failed is your strategy. The inherent worth in the person that is YOU, is not a failure by default. Your plan for getting to wherever you were trying to go…was not a good one. Now if you try and tell me that they way you were doing it is the ONLY way that exists on the planet…well then I’ll tell you that you are crazy.

For example, working on a project for 6 months in order to get it right and perfect, only to realize that nobody wants it and the concept is a complete bust. When in reality…you could have figured this out in about 6 hours. You could have saved SOOO much time, and by the end of the original 6 months you will have gone on to build 2 other products. I guess you could say that the faster you fail, the faster you’ll succeed. All of that time you spend putting off the possible failure is just TIME WASTED.  Days and months thrown away that you can never get back.

Failure is not the end of the world and if you never fail at anything in your life, I guarantee that you will never learn anything either. If taking the easy road is where you are comfortable and yearn to stay, than ignore everything I say. Failure is a terrifying, albeit freeing concept.

So in everything you do, find the failure faster. If you’re going to fail, you are going to fail and prolonging the process only hurts you. The shorter the process, the more time you have to correct what you probably did wrong the first time and actually gain the knowledge inherent in that at an accelerated rate. It is like getting three years  worth of a master’s degree in one…wouldn’t that be preferable? You only have to give up one year of your life, instead of three? Think what you could DO in those TWO extra years!?! THAT WOULD ROCK. And given those circumstance, I might actually go!

Good judgment comes from experience, but experience comes from bad judgment.

Now let’s go change the world….shall we?

MJZ