Life can be a puzzle sometimes.
Accepting Failure
The greatest way to accept failure, or at least temporary defeat, is to publicly admit it. That’s what I’m going to do here.
I’ve finally come to terms with the mistakes I’ve made in attempting to launch a paddle from Miami to New York. I’ll list these mistakes and share a few lessons I’ve learned, in the hope that you’ll avoid these pitfalls.
Five Mistakes I Made
1. I attempted to do everything myself. I did not have a team. Engage a team whenever possible. Outsource your non-strengths. Outsource to those who possess the strengths you do not.
2. I did not allow enough time to implement. Was five months enough time to prepare? Maybe. But then again, maybe not. This goes back to #1. With the right team—possibly yes. Without that team—an absolute no.
3. I did not seek seek proper counsel. I failed to fully engage my “board of directors,” before making this decision. In doing so I left out some very critical information: wise perspective(s) from people that weren’t me. Always ask. This I failed to do. And as a result I’m learning a very important lesson.
4. I did not build on smaller success. There are two fields of thought here. The first is to create bold goals far far outside your comfort zone. The second is to work your way up by initially achieving smaller goals. I did much a lot of the first and not enough of the second.
5. I did not provide enough value. I asked for your pledge before I provided real value. This was an error in judgment on my part. It should work the other way around. Give first, then give more. People will naturally want to support you, whether it be financially, emotionally, or other, when you provide them with incredible value first.
What’s Next?
This has been a hard pill to swallow. Saying “I messed up,” isn’t always easy… Especially when the confession is public. I am not giving up paddle boarding. In fact, I’m currently looking at doing a much smaller trip… another all day journey somewhere. Perhaps somewhere in the Gulf. My brother-in-law and his father recently offered to provide an escort boat to do a long distance paddle in South Florida. They’ve mentioned Bimini Island (in the Bahamas) to Miami. This would be a heavy trip. 50 miles. All day paddling. With a good East wind, it’s certainly achievable. And it would be quite an accomplishment. But before I decide on any trip in the future, I’ll first address five questions.
Five Questions
1. Who will help me (us) achieve this outcome, that we must have on the team?
2. How much time will it take our team to prepare?
3. Whose judgment do I trust that I can also ask for perspective before I make a decision?
4. How can I crystallize this project into smaller bites?
5. Do we have the resources we need? If not, how will we get them? What value will we provide?
Question for contemplation: What are some things we can do to learn from our mistakes before they actually happen?
Related Posts:
- 3 Questions to Ask Before Quitting
- 5 Ways to Turn No into Know
- I’m Paddling to New York from Miami. Is this the End or the Beginning?
