“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” -- Buddha
False is false no matter how convincingly someone makes it true. Truth is truth no matter what others may want you to believe otherwise. The road to truth and false is only separated by you, the one in the center of it all.
What are your truths and what are your lies? How do you know that something exists if no one has done it before? Someone else’s truth may not be your truth. Why? You are your own person, aren't you?
Starting something new always results to change. And change is scary. But why do many fear it? One of the reasons is that it's like trying to find your way in a maze where you do not know where it will lead to. Then in that case, why do you always want to know what's going to happen tomorrow?
Every day is a new day. Each day presents new opportunities and new ways of thinking. What you learned from yesterday allows you to avoid the same mistakes so you can figure out a different way to do your tasks now. But if you have not done anything new yesterday or starting today, what makes you think you will have a better result tomorrow?
If making mistakes is failure, you will probably stop doing anything new just to avoid it. But what is so exciting about a life with nothing new to discover and learn from? What does learning mean to you? Is doing what you already know considered learning?
Rather than seeing failure as a negative event, why not see it as a positive experience to keep improving your product, service or self. If you have found all the different ways to do something wrong and learn from it, you will more likely create something that is less error prone from the many perspectives you become aware of. Why? If you have found most of the negative outputs, you will be left with the positive results.
How Does Change Follow the Rules of Physics?
According to Newton’s Law of Motion, the following explains why change is necessary for growth:
- First Law: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an external force. This law is called inertia or uniform motion
- If you continue to do the same thing, you will keep receiving the same results since only you decide whether to change or not
- You are your own best external force, but it wouldn’t hurt to get inspired by others who are currently at your version of success
- Second Law: Net force on an object is equal to the rate of change
- F = m(ass)*a(cceleration) = m * dv/dt
- Mass measures the amount of inertia an object has. This means that the bigger mass equals a bigger inertia which equals a higher resistance to change
- If your inertia is big in the resting mode, it will be harder for you to change to the motion mode, but once you start moving, and keep building that motion, it will only get easier as you keep accelerating forward
- You are your own force who decides the rate of changes (derivative) or speed (v) that happen over time (t) (dv/dt)
- Third Law: A force is a push or a pull that is present in all objects
- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction simplified into one interaction
- All forces are interactions between two objects
- Example: when a person walks, the person pushes against the floor, while the floor pushes against the person
- In terms of business, if your actions revolve around mundane tasks that add no value, what kind of interactions are you trying to achieve? Is the pushing or pulling you are doing the type of interaction you want to keep having? Why or why not?
How Do These Rules Apply As A Web Developer And A Founder?
The first rule of inertia and motion is simple. Start as soon as possible and keep going unless, of course, you have to rest. As a Founder, you decide the best and most productive time you work at your own pace. As a Web Developer, I get to have some control of how the final product is going to be with guidance from the clients and designers.
Second rule measures the number of changes I have done to improve my skills for every new project, every new client and every new collaboration. Main goal for each week, month or year is to have an observable change in learning something new.
Third rule is to know that I have interacted with the right people to gain wisdom from and influenced at the same time. To know that I belong in a community of amazing entrepreneurs and business owners that I can share my passion in web development.
Instead of taking a step back whenever you get scared and nervous … isn’t it better to face your fears head on? Every small step forward is better than nothing at all. Have you started something new?
