“Not starting is far, far worse than being wrong. If you start, you’ve got a shot at evolving and adjusting to turn your wrong into a right. But if you don’t start, you never get a chance.”

A thought by Seth Godin (2011-03-01) in his book, Poke the Box (p. 57). The Domino Project. Kindle Edition.

The fear of doing wrong keeps us from so many good things in life.  Being wrong can either be a devastating experience or a learning experience.  It all depends on our perspective.                            

Margaret, my wife and I took a Saturday trip last spring to Orange, New Jersey to the home and factory of Thomas Edison.  Edison is the third most prolific inventor in history, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.  He said one time, “If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. ” Being wrong was not a problem for him.  It was a learning experience, an opportunity to do better.                                                        

In school, the young Edison's mind often wandered, and his teacher, the Reverend Engle, was overheard calling him “addled”. This ended Edison's three months of official schooling.  He recalled later, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” He had someone in his life who believed in him and who wouldn’t let what someone else said about him stop him from learning, from creating, exploring and inquiring.

I’ve also known a lot of people who are so afraid to do anything because they couldn’t do it perfectly.  They knew they couldn’t do it right so why try.  They just knew that they would do it wrong.  So they didn’t risk starting anything new.

Now I haven’t lived in their shoes but I wonder if there wasn’t an unpleaseable person somewhere in their life.  Maybe there was someone who was always pointing out where they messed up.  But I also believe that somewhere in all of their existence there was someone who believed in them but they let the negative override the positive.

Edison could have chosen to use the teacher as an excuse to never try but he didn’t.  He chose his mom.  But it still comes down to us and what we have chosen to believe.  

So which is worse for you?  To start something and find that you were wrong or to not start at all and not give yourself a chance to make it right.  I'm glad there are people who are willing to start something knowing that they may be wrong but who still have a shot at making it right.  Those are the people who make a difference.

So who are you?