Why you can make mistakes 95% of the time and still succeed

16 replies
What I'm suggesting may sound crazy, but consider this:

A torpedo constantly corrects itself until it reaches it's target. Once it is fired, it is off course 95% of the time, yet it reaches its target.

A torpedo will know to veer off to the right if it is way off on the left, and vice versa. It will literally zig zag it's way to the target, but that is the beautiful part of all this: It keeps zigzagging UNTIL it hits the target!

The point is this: If you screw up, embrace it and zigzag your way to success!

Or as T. Harv Eker put it: "Ready, Fire, Aim".

If you're procrastinating and you think, "Oh I have to get ready.. and get ready to get ready" then you're not even firing, much less adjusting so you know how to reposition yourself. The point is to do something (like firing), and then repositioning your aim and then firing again. This process may be necessary several times over until you get a hit.

As you INTENTIONALLY make a mistake, you will gain greater awareness of what to do. From there, you'll make the necessary adjustments and then do it differently. The key is to let yourself make mistakes so that you can zigzag your way to success just like a torpedo.

In other words, mistakes are your teacher! If you truly wish to succeed, you must be willing to embrace mistakes (even if that means being embarrassed). Believe it or not, the willingness to be embarrassed shows great courage, and courageousness is important for leadership.

Eventually, you will see less zigging and zagging
#95% #make #mistakes #succeed #time
  • Profile picture of the author ElliotBerg
    Excellent post as always. You pointed out perfectly. In order to succeed we have to take "Actions" because without we would never even start.
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  • Profile picture of the author stopper
    There was a time I believed that learning from our mistakes is the best way of learning Now I realized the mistakes of others also present opportunities for learning.
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  • Profile picture of the author ProScribe
    Nice post, I also agree that viewing "failure" as feedback is an important shift in mindset that you need to succeed.

    I also think they point that you don't need to get it right every single time is also important. That is a typical share trading maxim that you can have most of your trades lose money but still do very, provided of course that when things go right, they outweigh your losses.
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  • Profile picture of the author kayebee
    That's a great way to look at making mistakes. Makes me feel more positive to know that maybe all the mistakes I'm making will eventually lead to success. I hope...
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  • Profile picture of the author Ricky Tango
    Furthermore, you don't need to get it right, you just need to get it going! Just learned that from Dean Holland.
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  • Profile picture of the author Evocess
    Very great point! Sometimes we are afraid to make mistakes because there is a chance that we get embarrassed. This can however become a huge problem if it starts to dictate the way you live.

    There's nothing wrong if you're afraid of making a mistake when this mistake can be costly. That's completely normal and sane think to do. But unfortunately, we avoid too many situations that could potentially lead to making mistakes.

    People with social anxiety have an extreme fear of making mistakes. Actually, they hold a belief that mistakes and failures are bad.

    But the problem is that your mistake probably wasn't a real mistake. It's much more likely, that your parents got upset because you didn't do something that they wanted you to do, or you didn't do it their way. That got them upset and you developed a belief that what you did was wrong and not good.

    Thing That You Need To Do
    You need to welcome mistakes in your life and give yourself permission to learn from them.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Excellent post! Obsession until you reach your destination is key.
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  • Profile picture of the author ReplenishSEO
    I agree, you can fail 1000 times but you only need to get it right ONCE to win big.
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  • Profile picture of the author SirKonstantine
    if you are good at what you are doing, you aren't learning.

    zig zag it is!
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  • Profile picture of the author GT
    Thanks for the insight and encouragement, Jason!

    I heard something like this years ago using the analogy of the airplane that flies the curvature of the earth: of necessity, it must make constant course corrections.

    I completely agree with your recommendation to "zigzag" your way to success by taking action, taking risks, and making course corrections based totally on your desired goal. The path isn't as important as staying focused and committed to the goal.

    GT
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    • Profile picture of the author JasonChoi
      Originally Posted by GT View Post

      Thanks for the insight and encouragement, Jason!

      I heard something like this years ago using the analogy of the airplane that flies the curvature of the earth: of necessity, it must make constant course corrections.

      I completely agree with your recommendation to "zigzag" your way to success by taking action, taking risks, and making course corrections based totally on your desired goal. The path isn't as important as staying focused and committed to the goal.

      GT
      GT, I like that line:

      "The path isn't as important as staying focused and committed to the goal".

      I'm reminded of Thomas Edison who supposedly 'screwed up' somewhere between 1000 or 10,000 times before he got his lightbulb to work. It is said that he didn't see any of them as failures, but rather each attempt revealed what not to do. In other words, every attempt brought him closer to a stable working lightbulb!

      -Jason
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  • Profile picture of the author bainbridge80
    Great post. I too like to think of Thomas Edison as a great example to keep going. Another one is colonel sanders (KFC) I read he got rejected 1009 times but he kept going.
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  • Profile picture of the author maskmirror
    Very interesting post!...The torpedo analogy is very inspiring (and I learned something I did not know about torpedoes!). And it goes for anyone who 'aims' at being successful. I thought I'd take the liberty and list a few more 'torpedoes' who failed miserably at some point in their lives, before hitting their target...just for inspiration:

    Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton, Oprah Winfrey, the Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs...to name a few...imagine what the world would look like if these people had given up after their first failure...Imagine what your world would look like if you give up...
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  • Profile picture of the author Alohatom
    Great post. I have goten a lot of benefit from NLP..highly recommend it.
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