One thing I particularly hate is when people tell you something won’t work before you’ve even had a chance to try it.
Sure, there are some things you know are going to end up in disaster … sure, some of the people who tell you this are basing it on their own experiences and are actually trying to save you from pain and disappointment … but – and here’s the critical bit – just because something hasn’t worked in the past, doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future.
If we had taken the attitude that ‘failure meant impossible’ in all aspects of our life, then we would have nothing.
No language.
No writing.
No cars.
No law.
No gadgets.
No nothing.
Zero … nada … nichts.
So while I am not advocating we all throw ourselves out of the 10th floor window in a bid to prove ‘man can fly’ … nor am I celebrating the importance of failure [which only has validity if you have put in the effort before you’ve failed and learnt from it, afterwards] I am saying that business should give their hearts a bit more respect than they currently do, because for all the importance of brains, that’s where the seeds of incredible always start.
Oh, and if you need another reason … how about the fact that so many new products end up failing, despite the fact they have been considered, debated and tested to within an inch of their life.
Of course the reason companies still favour this approach is because it makes a better argument to their shareholders when things go tits-up.
Better to say ‘you considered everything’ and failed than look economically negligent by talking about following your heart.
But as I said, I’m not suggesting you let your heart have complete control.
I’m not saying you should ignore realities or standards. I’m simply saying that it’s better to start in an area that excites you than to focus purely on the things that ‘make immediate sense’ … especially if you’re hoping for a totally different result than what has gone on before.
Of course, there are occasions when that can happen.
Very, very rare occasions – where society intersects with what you’ve been up to – but in a World where companies are continually looking for the next new, new thing … maybe they need to realise that so much of what society loves [as opposed to just likes] started off with the heart rather than the head and instead of treating them as opposing forces, they need to get back to realising they’re co-dependent friends who can change the outcome of anything.