If you believe Slate, I am. Constantly. Count the spaces after my periods in this piece if you don’t believe me. It’s a legacy from 9th grade typing class, and it won’t go away. I am a two spacer. I’m sure I could do a lot of yoga and meditation and retrain myself, but it’s muscle memory at this point as much as grammar. And I have other intentions during yoga for now.
As marketers, we can’t afford to hang on to old habits. Doing things because it’s the way we have in the past, is the worst possible strategy. So what do we do in a constantly shifting landscape? Do we jump on every new trend in the hopes it’s going to be the next platform du jour?
I’ve never surfed, but I imagine, it’s a similar process. You take stock of the wave of information, paddle out and do your best to keep your head above water at first, but then you get very good at wading through the information and eventually you’re soaring. There will be tumbles. Spectacular fails that may even make it into a business class or two, but without those fails, there cannot be spectacular success.
The culture of fear…of being afraid to make a mistake is by far the biggest thing holding us back. So, yes, it hurts to be wrong. But it’s devastating to never have the opportunity to be wrong. In that opportunity are all the lessons that make us strong, fierce, and unbeatable the next time.
Marketing and Mothering 