Have you ever thought you didn’t have the right tools for the job? Like maybe if you had “this” or “that” you’d be able to accomplish your goals?

That’s all bullshit and I prove it below.

The content in this video is important. So no text summary. ;)

[If you're reading via RSS or e-mail click here to watch the video.]

People mentioned in the video:

- Shannon Albert

- Justine Ezarik / iJustine

- Eddie Van Halen

Products mentioned in the video:

- Canon PowerShot SD780

Let me know what you think …

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Failure doesn’t exist. Feedback does.

Do you see how if we reframe Failure as Feedback it takes on a whole new meaning?

In the standard sense of the definition, I fail often.

Below I’ve written about some of my failures and you should watch the complementary video as well… :)

On Failure:

I don’t know a single successful person who hasn’t failed multiple times. Most likely hundreds of times.

A lot of people would consider my recent eBook launch a failure since, in the scheme of eBook launches, I didn’t generate a crazy amount of revenue. I look at it as an incredible success.

Here’s why:

1) I shipped. So what if the eBook wasn’t perfect? It’s good, people are enjoying it, and I got it out there. Success!

2) I raised money for a good cause. I sent $1,600 to Kiva. This is going to directly affect the lives of a bunch of third world entrepreneurs! (This comes after #1 because if not for #1 there wouldn’t have been a #2.)

Click the image for Full Size

3) I get a new kind of feedback on my work. Once someone spends money with you the relationship changes. It’s a position I don’t take lightly. My aim is to over deliver. Which is why I write so much here; for the sheer love of sharing ideas.

Let’s look at other examples of Failure -> Feedback:

• I hurt my arm a few weeks back while building a guitar so I got an ayurvedic oil massage that didn’t end up helping (but did make for an “interesting” experience!). That was a failure. But I reframed it as feedback, found a better ayurvedic massage clinic, and was healed in 1 day. (Crazy, but true!)
• When I couldn’t get Internet and, as a result, couldn’t get work done because of the ridiculous new bureaucracy here in India I felt it was a failure. I even wrote about it (whined about it is more like it) here. Sometimes I’m dense and it takes me a little extra time to take your advice and my own advice. :) Anyway, eventually, when I reframed the failure as feedback, I got my Internet and was able to produce a crazy amount of content in a short amount of time.

We don’t learn from our failures.

We learn from the feedback we get from our failures.

Avoiding Failure Is Not The Goal

Let’s be clear that avoiding failure is not the goal. More than that, a life without failure is boring.

And, of course, avoiding failure is impossible.

The goal is to achieve success or failure as soon as possible. If that means 10-20 hours in electronic stores trying to get a USB modem then so be it. :)

Sometimes we get too caught up in our lives to allow ourselves to step back and analyze what’s going on. Now that I’ve put my thoughts on the relationship of failure and feedback down into words I’ll have a much easier time dealing with failure in the future.

Now that you’ve read this article, I hope you’ll have an easier time with your failures as well. :)

I’m interested: how do you deal with your failures? Do you beat yourself up over them? Do you get depressed? Do you use them as learning experiences? What steps do you take?

Whoa, that’s a lot of questions, but I’m fascinated with failure, feedback, and success. Post in the comments or, if you’d like some level of anonymity, e-mail me: KarolGajda AT Gmail.com. More important than anything, be honest with yourself when answering the questions.

———-
EDIT (March 11, 2010): This is weird/cool. Penelope Trunk and Dragos Roua both wrote about failure recently.

If you’re reading this via e-mail please click here to watch the video.

The dynamic on this blog has changed. Now that I have a product for sale it might seem to you that I only want you here to spend money.

That’s not the case at all.

I want you to know that I want you here and I appreciate you being here even if you never spend a penny with me. This site wasn’t created for me to make money.

I explain more in the video (with a summary down below):

Video summary:

- I want you here even if you never spend a penny with me.

- The best way to pay a blogger is by letting them know you appreciate them: leave a comment.

- Even if you don’t have anything profound to say, leave a comment.

- A comment as simple as “Thank you” is payment enough. We thrive on comments like that.

- If you want to go above and beyond: subscribe to RSS feeds, newsletters, and tell your friends about your favorite blogs. In short, spread the word.

Your Mission:

Today and for the rest of your blog reading life, if you read an article that you really like, whether it’s on this blog or another, leave a comment.

If you’re extra bold leave this comment:

“I don’t have anything to add to this conversation, but Karol Gajda told me if I like a blog post just to say Thank You. So thank you!”

Due to lack of Internet here in Baga, Goa, India the following video will be visible only in your mind’s eye. I can’t upload the actual video. I can barely upload a picture! (Yes, it is quite near impossible to get any work done here, try as I might.)

The setting: an open field just east of Baga Beach off the Arabian Sea.

The camera is held in my right hand and pointed at my face.

I begin speaking.

“Today I want to talk about expectations, because while here in Baga, Goa, India a lot of mine have been shattered.”

“First, here’s an Indian cell phone from Vodaphone.” [I show my cell phone to the camera.]

“The process of obtaining this was an interesting experience. It took 2 days, 4 visits to Vodaphone, and 5 or 6 hours of my time before I actually had this phone working.”

“This morning I tried to place a phone call and got a message saying my paperwork was never submitted and I can’t place outbound calls.”

“I called customer service from the phone and explained the situation. But because I got my phone in Mumbai I have to call the Mumbai customer support. I can’t call customer service in Mumbai because my phone won’t place outbound calls.” (Note: The first customer service call worked probably because I used the Vodaphone Service button on the phone.)

“Second, I got this Tata Indicom USB Internet stick from a friend.” [I show the USB stick to the camera.]

“I went to the local Tata store to get it activated, but since it hadn’t been in use for a year the SIM card is cancelled and can’t be reactivated. They tell me I must buy a new SIM. So I ask to buy a new SIM. They tell me they don’t sell the SIM, but I can buy a new stick. I’m at the Tata store, they tell me to buy a new SIM, but they don’t sell the SIM. :)”

[A cow walks behind me]

“I ask to buy a new stick. They ask me if I have my resident paperwork. Of course I don’t because I’m not a resident. I try to pay them off because that seems to be how everything works here. But they don’t accept my bribe. :)”

“This all boils down to my own ignorance. I was ignorant of how difficult things I take for granted are in the third world, but it makes sense in retrospect. Everything works differently here and I have to learn to roll with the punches or leave. Things (like a cell phone or internet) that should just work, don’t. It’s like real life Windows. Nothing works correctly, and nothing works on the first try. ;) ”

[A young child on a bike stops and stares at me. I make a comment to the camera about the child. The child appears in the video behind me.]

“What I’d like to know is times in your life when your expectations for something have been shattered and how you dealt with it. But if you have examples of expectations being met or exceeded I’d much rather hear that!” ;)

[Video ends.]

Hey hey!

I did something different here with this video. Different is the wrong word. Maybe time consuming would be better. I don’t think I’ll do it this way much in the future. Too much editing. :)

Watch the video here:

If you can’t watch the video, the gist of it is the question:

“How does location affect your productivity?”

Bonus question: “How does location affect your feelings of happiness?”

Personally, when I’m cold (in any location) my productivity goes down considerably. As does my happiness. :)