Thursday, March 26, 1998

Do it wrong the first time

Mistakes are like money in the bank if you know how to mine their value. And it’s really quite easy. Mistakes teach you very clearly, very precisely, what NOT to do. Make enough mistakes, learn from them, and you’ll know exactly what to do.

When you set out to do something with the goal of making as many mistakes as possible, you will quickly learn the best way to get it done. This is not always practical, when the stakes are high and the time is short. In such cases, it is best to make mistakes more carefully.

Of course you can learn from the mistakes of others, without having to repeat them. That’s sort of the concept behind civilization. Yet, nothing personalizes learning like making your own mistakes, and true progress in any endeavor demands new, original mistakes. Behind every positive discovery there are many negative discoveries.

When you’re not afraid to do it wrong the first time, you’ll eventually get it very right.

— Ralph Marston

Reminders       Stop fighting

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