Fail Forward; Fast.
There are some experiences that you must have. No book, person, or class can effectively teach them to you — the earlier you experience them, the better for you. Similarly, there are some failures you must experience to drive home certain lessons fast. Good failures. Failing in such a way that you learn something valuable; something that helps you snatch success when it comes around. I guess that is what John Maxwell called “Failing Forward.”
The message here is to fail forward, and fast. I must now answer the one million dollar question: How do I fail forward fast?
This is a vital question, and its answer consists of two components. These components help satisfy the full conditions represented by the phrase, “fail forward.”
Firstly and very importantly, you must try things. Venture into things that seem just out of your reach and those comfortably within your reach. Make daring moves, apply for wonderful opportunities. Do things that would make people surprised. And in their wonder say, “I couldn’t believe that he could do that!” You will succeed in some of these. Great! You would lose others. Not bad either. You must not wait until everything is perfect or you are completely prepared before you try things. Else, you would greatly limit your growth. This reminds me of the remarkable story James Clear recasted in his bestseller book Atomic Habits. A lecturer of photography divided his class into two parts; the “quantity” and “quality” groups. The quantity group would be graded solely based on the number of pictures they would have taken at the semester’s end, and the other, solely based on the excellence of their work. Counterintuitively, the quantity group produced the more excellent work. Don’t be like the quality group waiting for the right moment, when the sun is at the perfect angle to shoot your shot. Shoot it frequently, whether or not the conditions are perfect.
Apart from the fantasy of waiting for the picturesque moment, sheer laziness may also deter people from shooting their shots regularly. In close alliance with this are: the atrocious procrastination and demotivation. Don’t allow the seeming pleasure of doing nothing rob you of the opportunities for growth. Fold up those sleeves, wake up, and go to work this year!
The second component of failing forward complements and balances the first. For it to be failing forward, you must learn something. To learn, you must not only try but also give it a good shot; where possible, your best. Only when you put in your best effort will you be engaged in the experience and learn the most. If you try many things haphazardly and half-heartedly, you would compile many failures and probably a broken belief in your abilities. And you would less likely learn something from the experience. The cliche quote from the Bible, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with your might,” perfectly describes this point.
So my charge to you is to DARE THINGS WITH YOUR FULL CHEST IN 2022!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
P.S: This is my first Medium article. I appreciate you reading to this point. I am a final year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. My interests lies at the intersection of sustainable development, energy and leadership. I consider myself a future energy leader.
I believe to be a leader or a voice in whatever endeavor of life, you must know how to express your thoughts in writing. I write regularly of whatever topic that interests me,mostly bordering on personal development — in my journal, and I suggest you should do too! I decided to refurbish and publish one of my recent journal entries on Medium. If you like this article, give it a clap, share it with your friends and follow my page. Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-okenwa.
Gracias!
