A friend of mine suggested I read one of recent posts by Scott Adams, the author of Dilbert.
It’s a very interesting and motivational read for anyone who feels how fear of failure keeps them from trying new things and ideas. Scott was never afraid to try his best in any area of his life, no matter how remote from his talent or knowledge it was. The post is called In Over My Head, and it’s a wonderful story of his life so far, aimed to teach us once more: don’t be afraid to fail, cause every time you do – you get one step closer to your success.
In fact, he gives you a formula he had worked out himself over the past years:
… I must confess that I fail miserably about ten times for every one success. (That’s an accurate estimate. I’ve literally kept score.) But interestingly, the failures always involved activities that seemed entirely feasible. I was completely qualified for all of the things that failed. Ironically, I couldn’t even “keep my day job.â€
and at the same time, he teaches us to never fear of trying something new:
I mention these stories because over the course of my life, every time I try something different or unlikely, someone says the equivalent of “don’t quit your day job.†When I venture into areas clearly outside of my expertise, I hear “You’re in way over your head.†You’ve probably seen some of those comments in this blog.
Somehow I have to square that seemingly good advice with the fact that I’ve so often been successful against long odds, especially when I’m in way over my head. In fact, that’s when I do my best work. I gave you several examples, but trust me when I say there are plenty more.
Truly, an amazing man and a great story. Go on, read the full story here!