Fail Fast and Focus Forward

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’”

─ Matthew 25:24-25 NKJV

Melissa found herself in a very different culture at her new job. Although she’d been in the technology industry for years, she couldn’t help but feel surprised with the leadership’s view on failure. When the team failed a major hurdle they’d worked to overcome for months, she was puzzled at her CEO’s words to the team: “Well, we like to fail fast and focus forward,” he said with a big smile.

It’s human nature to fear failure, and often we feel the need to beat ourselves up when we miss the mark, or even refuse to try because we’re afraid of failing.

Fear of failure comes across loud and clear in Jesus’s story of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Those given five and two talents, invested the money, took a risk and increased the master’s money. But the man who received one talent was so overcome with fear of failure that he chose to do nothing with it. He hid it in the ground and gave it back to the master upon his return.

Instead, fail fast and focus forward – embrace the risk; if you fail, learn from it and move forward.

Today’s One Thing

Give your past to the Lord today. Ask Him to help you overcome your fear of failure. What is something you know you should do, but have been afraid of doing? Take some action toward that today.

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