Why The Museum Of Failure Will Make Your Life Better
Where do all the failed innovations go?
Do we never mention them again?
Or...do we celebrate them, learn from them, apply some black box thinking?
I love the latter and so, it seems, do the guys at the Museum of Failure.
Yep, this is where the "failed" innovations such as the Betamax video, the Apple Newton, Google Glass, the Kodak Digital camera and some other beauts go to be celebrated and enjoyed.
““The only way to be sure is to go out and test your ideas and programmes, and to realise that you will often be wrong. But that is not a bad thing. It leads to progress.””
When we celebrate failure, we learn from each step that got us to where we are.
When we embrace learning and do a wrap party for the projects that went belly up as well as the ones that were epic, innovation is easier (and more informed).
Nothing is a failure.
Whether a business didn't make it, a project missed the mark by miles, or a launch was a flop, it's all data.
It's all feedback for the next step forward.
It's also killer fodder for your backstory around how you got to the best bit. Just sayin'.
““It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” ”
As a small business owner, do you ever look around and wonder HOW THE HECK everyone else seems to be doing so well?
How are they all growing their lists, getting featured everywhere, being seen, listened to, but not YOU?
The temptation then is to get down on yourself, wonder why it's not all happening for you.
Maybe you ARE a total failure.
(I happen to know that you aren't, FYI)
You see, I meet people now, they see my "as seen in" logos, my collaborations with big names, and how my business looks now, and it all looks good, right?
Let me tell you, it's not always been that way.
The very first e-course I did was called Social Media in Cherry Bites, for my hair and beauty clients of my design business.
I sold 5, if that. For £10 each.
A little later down the line, I created a course called Idea Generation for Bloggers. Again, priced at £10. I probably sold 5 or 6.
Hardly enough to keep the kids in food and shoes, or to feed my flat white habit.
We all start somewhere, though.
With every great, big whopping tumbleweed clanger like my unloved e-courses, it was another step towards the next thing.
A tiny step towards the next goal, a new skill learned, a leap made.
I want you to laugh.
Because I want you to know it's NORMAL to have a journey, to learn, grow, and work it out as you find your feet.
Amazingly enough, I have also been shocked to find that many of the people who have become high level clients or collaborators were the ones who bought the very first versions of my e-courses, or they have been on my list for a long time.
People grow with you. Don't worry about making mistakes - it shows you are human, clients and your audience can relate to you.
It means you are real - not a high gloss, airbrushed version of yourself.
So, how did I learn and grow?
I kept trying. I invested in courses, coaches, mentors, and kept putting myself out there.
Yes, even when I really thought I couldn't and that no-one would care.
( I bet you have felt like that too, am I right?)
So, here is my advice:
Keep sharing what you know.
Keep learning.
Keep being you.
Your clangers are all building blocks for your next success.
So, make like the Museum of Failure and throw a party for your wrong turns, cringe-worthy moments, tumbleweed moments and face-palming epochs.
It's all just a twist on the journey up.
Fancy sharing your biggest embarrassing tried-but-failed moment?
Pop over to our Facebook group and let it all out.
It's better than therapy, and a lot cheaper than a vice.
““If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.””