Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win Paperback – December 26, 2013

The word "failure" is often carelessly used and so I begin with my own opinion that -- with rare exception -- a failure is a consequence from which nothing of value is learned. This seems to have been what Thomas Edison had in mind when correcting a colleague who deemed an experiment deemed a "failure." It was, in fact, a valuable learning lesson, one that increased their knowledge of what doesn't work. In this context, I am again reminded of a passage in Paul Schoemaker's latest book, Brilliant Mistakes: "The key question companies need to address is not `[begin italics] Should [end italics] we make mistakes?' but rather `[begin italics] Which [end italics] mistakes should we make in order to test our deeply held assumptions?'"

This is what Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz seem to have in mind when observing, "People who are happy and successful expend less time planning and more time acting. They get out into the world and try new things, make mistakes, and in doing so, benefit from unexpected experiences and opportunities" that they would not otherwise have. The key is to learn how to "make small changes to what they [begin italics] do [end italics]...to break free from habitual behaviors and initiate new adventures, act boldly with minimal preparation, and leverage their] strengths for rapid change." Babineux and Krumboltz agree with Helen Keller, as do I: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." That said, neither she nor they recommend placing one's self in harm's way by taking foolish, impulsive risks. Be proactive, yes, but focus on opportunities that require "smart action."

These are among the dozens of business subjects and issues of special interest and value to me, also listed to indicate the scope of Babineaux and Krumboltz''s coverage.

o Focus on Opportunities, Not Problems (Pages 3-5)
o A Long Bike Ride Leads to a Great Idea, and, The Joyful Tipping Point (9-13)
o Don't Let a Day Pass Without Having Fun (14-18)
o Mapping Joy (19-21)
o Fail Fast to Learn Fast (27-31)
o Be a Beginner, Not an Expert (31-34)
o Failure Is What You [Do or Don't] Make of It (37-38)
o Act on Your Curiosity (45-49)
o Five Keys to Curiosity (49-50)
o Test Your Assumptions (60-67)
o Discover Your Success (72-75)
o Bigger Isn't Always Better (80-85)
o The Power of Small Wins (85-90)
Note: Peter Sims also has a great deal of value to say about this in his book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries
o Build on Your Strengths (92-94)
o See the World Like an Anthropologist, and Be Inquisitive (101-110)
o Too Much Thinking Can Stop You in Your Tracks (122-126)
o Overcome Procrastination (155-160)
o Ten Ways to Diversify Social Relationships (171-177)
o Tips for Introverts (177-179)

I commend Babineaux and Krumboltz on their skillful use of several reader-friendly devices that include boxed mini-commentaries that are inserted throughout their lively and eloquent narrative; dozens of relevant quotations (e.g. John Horn's observation, "Why we play as children is not because it is our work or because it is how we learn, thought bother statements are true; we play because we are wired for joy, it is imperative as human beings"); checklists of key points; and a Call to Action at the conclusion of Chapters 1-9 that will help readers to apply material that is most relevant to their needs, interests, goals, and resources as well as to those of the given enterprise.

In the Preface, Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz make a promise that they certainly keep when providing an abundance of information, insights, and counsel: "Each chapter includes a discussion of cutting-edge research, inspiring stories from the lives of famous and ordinary people alike, and specific steps to put ideas into practice to enact immediate [and beneficial] change in your life." The "Fail Fast" approach they propose can help almost anyone to transform their life through small, immediate actions. "When you embrace [strategic, enlightened] failure rather than resist it, every moment provides the opportunity" to learn, grow, stretch, stumble and then recover...and thereby learn what can help to achieve personal success and professional development. Bravo!

The book provides practical tools to break from the habits that are holding people back. Just simple and small adjustments to your life can have big impacts in work,play,and life in general.
You don't have be a genius to anything you want, you need to have the will to stick it out long enough to realize whether to pursue or move on to something serendipitous that is waiting for you around the corner.

Only 22 reviews? I thought this book would have at least 200. Anyways I first saw this book recommended from SUCCESS magazine. Of course I trust the company SUCCESS and followed their recommendation. This book totally changed how I view mistakes and failure. Instead of feeling anxiety I just go for things now. Although I admit that it's still hard to overcome fear.

This is absolutely one the most truly written books in the area of personal development. All the topics derived from researches and based on science, give you the feeling that they're talking about your real life. And they introduce legit solutions to them as well. Highly recommended for anyone who's is ambitious about personal and professional development.

Awesome book filled with great advice and useful tips.

Really good advice for career seekers and potential entrepreneurs. It's a very fresh take on this over saturated self-help market. Good no nonsense advice from authors who know their stuff. I highly recommend it!

I found this book to be insightful, well spoken, and very helpful. For me, it combines several into one valuable book that I greatly appreciate. I'm surprised there are so few comments and feel compelled to leave mine. Fail Fast, Fail Often is a must read.

I think this is the 1st book i rated on amazon. I really resonated with it and its message i really needed to hear.