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Defending status quo by attacking the unfamiliar is the world’s oldest preoccupation. Change shatters the illusion of control, safety, predictability, and wisdom found in all comfort zones. Although we no longer execute our pioneers, people still line up to terminate a new idea. Be leery of the “it-will-never-work . . .” Eeyore-worshiping, rain-on-any-parade, Chicken-Little like crowd, and hang with the believers. For those that understand what you’re doing and support you in that effort, no explanation or justification is necessary. For those that don’t and won’t understand, no explanation is possible.
Do it right, the first time, every time, right? Not. Especially not when you are creating, researching, and developing. Trial and Error are Life’s greatest teachers and they demand flexibility, perspective, patience and tolerance from their students. Perfection is a state of mind. You cannot and will not design and implement a new strategy that answers every contingency and fulfills every expectation. Your innovation will develop over time, not overnight. You are initiating and managing a process of change, an evolution, not an event. You must manage your expectations accordingly. Things in life rarely follow your plan with exactness, and people never do. Expect perfection and you’ll always be disappointed. Loosen up, life is far too short to sweat every moment.
Defining success as anything other than a tangible goal achieved or a positive result attained might seem absurd to the casual observer, however, traditional measurements of day-to-day success are not appropriate for innovative works in progress. Our greatest achievements, discoveries, and adaptations usually result from things gone slightly awry rather than according to plan. Our success is our participation in the process and our greatest measurement of that success is how well we participate. Simply doing the best that you can do, with what you have, moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and week-to-week until it is time to do something else is a fabulous achievement. Oh, this can be so much fun, or it can be misery, the choice is yours. Choose fun.
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