Hello World.
Read-time = ~2 minutes.
First impressions. Second chances. Third strikes.
Sometimes I feel like the world has a fixed tally allocated to various activities. It's as if failure is a literal mark against character. A 'second chance' means a 'first mistake'. This seems like a really huge oversight. People are not perfect—more than that people cannot be perfect.
Failure, like diversity, should be celebrated rather than shunned. 'Honest' mistakes coupled with an 'honest' desire to learn from said mistakes provide an excellent opportunity to hone character. I'm not saying mistakes are good or bad, rather that, generally, mistakes have a really bad rep.
Maybe all of this can be fixed with a simple response, "That's why we have insurance." Yes insurance is obviously a tool for risk management and the primary mistake triage, but it doesn't fully encompass the cultural norms associated with less-than-perfect.
"But what about being prudent?" This is more progressive. Prudent implies what is proper in a given circumstance. It makes no claims to perfection but keeps its back to mistakes. I appreciate prudence but there is one major adjective missing from its definition, an adjective I find crucial in both design and life alike: best.
"Always do your best" is a phrase my mother would echo over and over. Her evaluation of my performance was not based on grades, marks, awards, or recognition but effort. If I had 'given my all' then there was reason for praise; mistakes were often found mingled with trying my best but that was understood as a component in my progression as a person.
"I don't practice Santeria" and don't know what the future holds, but I do know what ever scenario I face I will try my best and embrace the possible failures associated with uncertainty.
In short- I'm going to take a chance...