How to never fail

‘How to never fail’ doesn’t roll off the tongue.

I’m not even sure if it’s grammatically correct.

You might be thinking: Alex, don’t you mean ‘how to avoid failure’?

No, I don’t.

I meant what I said wrote.

I’m going to convince you to embrace failure -

And in doing so, never fail.

(Semantics are clearly very important to me)

Keep reading (even if you think I sound crazy) to learn the best way to fail.

Est. read time: ~3.5 minutes

Why this is on my mind:

Changing careers was scary.

Being an entrepreneur is hard.

Writing these emails every week,
posting on LinkedIn every day,
putting my whole self out there
is uncomfortable.

‘Does anybody even care?’
‘Am I adding enough value?’
‘Will this all work out?’

Amidst so much uncertainty and doubt, I’ve had to find a new way to think about success and failure.

Because this could all blow up in my face.

I could go back to corporate 12 months from now (if they’ll have me 😅), tail between my legs.

AND I’ll be so happy I tried.

AND I’ll have learned SO much.

AND I’ll better understand my strengths.

AND I’ll try again another time.

But this isn’t about me - it’s about you.

I share all this in the hopes that it helps you:

• Feel less alone

• Live a fuller life

• Be a better leader (at work or home)

Because life is just one big experiment -
the only way to really fail is to never try.

Okay, now back to it:

Two ways to never fail:

1. Never try (avoid) - not what I’d do

2. Constantly test (embrace) - pick me

#1: Never try (avoid failure)

Take a second and picture the happiest, proudest, funnest (yes, funnest), most memorable moment from your life.

• How much blood, sweat, and tears went into getting to that moment?

• How many micro-failures happened along the way?

• Did you know with 100% certainty that things were going to work out?

• Was the outcome 100% what you thought it would be?

Even the simple moments - time spent with family and friends - represent effort on our part.

We put ourselves out there.

We build and maintain relationships.

We show up instead of staying home.

The only way to truly fail is to hide from everything that challenges you.

#2: Constantly test (embrace failure)

The point of experiments isn’t to succeed.

It’s to learn.

Sure, it’s nice when your ideas are proven right -

AND there is still a ton of value when they’re proven wrong.

You tweak, retest, and find your answer.

Maybe it’s the answer you wanted, maybe not - either way:

Progress made.

How to make everything an experiment:

• Define your hypotheses: What do I believe to be true?

• Run a test: Do something.

• Assess your findings: What did I learn?

• Rinse & Repeat: Stay on track or adjust as needed.

Success is not about the outcome but an outcome.

You can always change your mind based on new evidence.

You can always take a different approach.

You can always try again.

My challenge to you:

Take that thing that you:

• Can’t get out of your head; or

• Have always wanted; or

• Have been avoiding

and run a test.

It can be as simple as spending 1 hour working on it or talking to 1 person about it for 30 min.

You never know where that first step will lead.

Want to dive deeper?

• Article (~20 min): Act Like a Scientist

• Book (238 pgs.): Designing Your Life

Was this helpful? Want a specific topic covered?

Reply to this email and share your thoughts!

See you next Thursday,

Alex

P.S. If you want more insights like this, follow me on LinkedIn. I write daily on motivation, impact, and joy at work.

P.P.S. If you’re an ambitious manager who wants to become an inspiring leader, book a free 30 min strategy session to explore what steps you can take today.