Next January, What will YOU regret?

Quoted in the latest Brainstorm E-Bulletin from Jurgen Wolff (www.timetowrite.com):
Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, told Fast Company magazine that one of the biggest obstacles to change and innovation is fear. Companies say they want their people to learn, but, learning requires tolerating mistakes and failure, and "letting people try things they've never done before, things they probably won't be very good at the first time around." It's easy to scoff at this backward attitude, but how often are you taking risks in your own work or personal life? And when you make a mistake or fail, how hard are you on yourself, instead of chalking it up as a learning expeience?

Next January, which will you regret more: what you did that didn't work out (but from which you learned), or what you didn't even try? Consider being a bit more of a risk-taker this year - but remember not to be hard on yourself when the outcome isn't what you hoped it would be.

The other key point Prof. Pfeffer makes in his interview is that there's a lot of "knowing" but not enough "doing." His advice is straightforward: "If you want the future to be better than the present, you have to start working on it immediately. Remember: what you want is better than, not optimal. Your job is to do something today that's better than what you did yesterday. And to do something tomorrow that's better than what you did today." I like the quote in the article by San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci, who said, "I never wear a watch because I always know it's now - and now is when you should do it."

And a quote to consider: "Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them." - Alfred North Whitehead