Failing Forward

                                                                                   Failing Forward                                       
             When you fail, look at the reason why you failed and understand that it’s all part                                                          of the process of achievement and growth.
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What is failing forward? It’s taking chances and leveraging your mistakes to make a realistic assessment of the risks involved. This is the place innovation and growth occurs, and it’s ok! The actor Will Smith once said, “You’ve gotta take a shot, you have to live at the edge of your capabilities. You gotta live where you’re almost certain you’re going to fail. Failure actually helps you recognize the areas where you need to evolve. So fail early, fail often, fail forward.” 

There are some usual suspects involved in failure:

• Distractions are everywhere and they can take us off course. Be smart with your time, and be strategic because we can control those elements. Being strategic also means understanding how you work best. At Scoutr we refer to these metrics as Work Styles, and it’s critically important you understand this about yourself.
  
  
• Lack of confidence can be based on many things like experiences, childhood history, genes and circumstances. You can’t change the past but you can change your thoughts and belief in yourself. Discover these styles, understand your values and motivations, and take care of yourself physically and mentally. Give yourself a healthy support system and focus on improving self confidence. 
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• Fear of failure is common but unfortunately, it’s taboo in business and personal life. It has this negative stigma where people are often scared of being judged or worried about how they will look. I’m telling you, this is nonsense! I don’t know one successful entrepreneur who hasn’t failed multiple times at multiple levels. It’s part of the deal. Whether you’re an athlete, an academic or scientist, or a business owner, failure is part of the game. Think of all the experiments throughout history that led to incredible discoveries. They all had many failures along the way so stop thinking you’re not good enough, and know that you’re more than enough! 
  

• Procrastination is the one we all struggle with, often delaying or putting off a task or action. Don’t give in to “feeling good” and don’t avoid these stressful tasks. Go, and take that chance because you’ll realize afterwards it wasn’t so bad after all.  

Take risks! In the product world, it usually comes down to product market fit, team, and cash. If you don’t have product market fit, go back and reconsider your approach to the problem. But, if you know your product or service has a place in the market, GO FOR IT! The returns could be enormous, but even if they aren’t what you expected you’ll learn a ton. You will be stronger when you fail, so take those lessons and iterate. Continuous improvement should be a common thought in your mind, with a relentless pursuit of growth. The final thing you want to focus on is the ability to recover from failure, aka perseverance. Persistence is another key factor in success, and your willingness to persevere will be a major deciding factor in the long-term outcomes. You can be self-defeated, or you can be resilient and encouraged. Set the goal, have passion, and don’t forget patience! I know of many “overnight” success stories that actually took a decade or longer. Remember, this is your race and at your pace, so focus on yourself and not what (or how) others have done.

Be comfortable being uncomfortable!