🌳 Treat Failure Like a Scientist

QUOTE OF THE DAY

TREAT FAILURE LIKE A SCIENTIST

341 Words | 1 Min 14 Sec Read

When a scientist runs an experiment, there are all sorts of results that could happen. Some results are positive and some are negative, but all of them are data points. Each result is a piece of data that can ultimately lead to an answer.

And that’s exactly how a scientist treats failure: as another data point.

This is much different from how society often talks about failure. For most of us, failure feels like an indication of who we are as a person.

Failing a test means you’re not smart enough. Failing to get fit means you’re undesirable. Failing in business means you don’t have what it takes. Failing at art means you’re not creative. And so on.

But for the scientist, a negative result is not an indication that they are a bad scientist. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Proving a hypothesis wrong is often just as useful as proving it right because you learned something along the way.

Your failures are simply data points that can help lead you to the right answer.

Failure Is the Cost You Pay to Be Right

None of this is to say that you should seek to make mistakes or that failing is fun. Obviously, you’ll try to do things the right way. And failing at something that is important to you is never fun.

But failure will always be part of your growth for one simple reason…

If you’re focused on building a new habit or learning a new skill or mastering a craft of any type, then you’re basically experimenting in one way or another. And if you run enough experiments, then sometimes you’re going to get a negative result.

It happens to every scientist and it will happen to you and me as well. To paraphrase Seth Godin: Failure is simply a cost you have to pay on the way to being right.

Treat failure like a scientist. Your failures are not you. Your successes are not you. They are simply data points that help guide the next experiment.

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:

Treat failure like a scientist! Take each data point as a direction for your next steps and you’ll come to understand that you haven’t failed, you’ve learnt.

TAKEAWAYS:

It’s all perspective, failure, success, all emotions are just perspectives on how you see them. One little tweak can change things drastically.

BOOK OF THE WEEK ⤵️

The book of the week is ‘The Power Of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle. It’s a book about Spiritual Enlightenment. It presents itself as a discussion about how people interact with themselves and others. The concept of self-reflection and presence. Check it out HERE

CREATOR OF THE WEEK ⤵️

The creator of the week is a youtube based creator known as @nathanieldrew. He makes content about how to live a better and more fulfilling life. He shares stories, Insights, lessons and more with an extremely personal touch. Check him out HERE

LESSON OF THE DAY ⤵️

A good life is largely defined by what's missing…

Thanks, James Clear for Inspiring this edition!