Mistakes of Commission

Lulu Meservey has a philosophy about risk that applies far beyond communications.

'If you're a startup, your enemy is the status quo. When you don't take risks, when you minimize risk by doing nothing, you're letting the status quo win. You're letting your greatest enemy win by default.'

She encourages 'mistakes of commission rather than omission.'

'If you make a mistake of commission you can observe it, you can learn from it. You know right away that it's happened. You can move really quickly and adapt. Whereas if you make mistakes of omission you're not observing, you're not learning, and you're maybe not even noticing opportunities slip by.'

Parents default to omission constantly. Don't try the new thing. Don't take them to the challenging place. Don't let them attempt the hard task.

But the status quo is the enemy. Doing nothing guarantees no growth. Try things. Make mistakes. Learn. The worst option is usually not trying at all.