Failure is a possibility

It was the quarter-finals of the European Cup of Football 2016. Portugal and Poland were tied at 1 goal each. The games goes into overtime and remains tied. Goes to penalty shoot-out. When Portugal was choosing the kickers Cristiano Ronaldo famously said to one of the players “You’re kicking. You kick well. Come on. If we lose f*ck it.” (video)

Athletes know this very well. They can fail. After years of practice and dedication they may fall short of their goal. In sports, the outcome doesn’t depend only on an athlete but she can only control what’s hers to control.

For creators, and especially those creating businesses, failure is a possibility. A very real one. It’s on the creator to aknowledge and determine the possible consequences of it. Financial, reputational or other.

Failure does prevent some from trying but it shouldn’t. The important part is to be comfortable with the downside. Once that’s done it’s time to focus on doing.