“Fail forward fast” is a marketing term I first heard about 10 or 15 years ago. It means it’s better to take action and fail than to wait for everything to be perfect. Waiting for perfection often results in nothing getting done because there’s always one more improvement. This principle applies to starting an exercise routine, launching a business, or pursuing any goal.
Although I heard this concept years ago, I didn’t start living it until now. This change is because the best way to learn and grow is by doing and making mistakes, rather than solely relying on research. When I consulted a marketing expert about starting a blog, his top advice was to “start ugly… but start.”
He explained that most bloggers dislike their first six months of posts, but they learn more during that time than they would by waiting. This is why I’m sharing this with you. If I had waited until every detail of my trip was perfect, I would still be at home planning. That’s just a fact.
I once told my brother Pat about a trip I made through Louisiana. I thought it would be cool to take the southernmost road from New Orleans to Houston in July. It turned out to be an unpleasant experience. The route smelled terrible due to swamp gas, and there was nothing to see—just heat, humidity, and boredom.
When I shared this with my brother, he said, “Whenever you travel, you always learn something. Even if it’s just never going there again, you learned something.” This applies to my current trip as well. In just three weeks, I’ve learned a lot by doing.
There are things I won’t do again and things I should have considered, but I wouldn’t have learned any of this if I hadn’t started. My advice to anyone thinking about taking action is: don’t suffer from paralysis by analysis. Don’t worry about every little detail before you begin. Cover the big things and dive in.
As a great book title says, “You can’t learn to ride a bike at a seminar.”
Until next time, enjoy life’s journey.
Joe O’Brien