Growth Mindset: Fail Fast

At first thought, mottos and mantras may seem very similar. However, mantras have a lot more weight to them--they are sacred utterances, in which the words themselves have power embedded in them. A motto, in contrast, is a phrase meant to summarize a general motivation or intention. That is what I want to focus on here.

Having a good mindset is incredibly important to your own happiness and ability to persevere through adversity. A really good way to approach this is summed up in the motto Fail Fast. 


I first heard this phrase during an internship program I participated in at OU, called I-CCEW. The leaders there took an iterative approach to problems, and "fail fast" was how they summed it up; an attitude I immediately embraced.

When problems feel too large, an easy first reaction is "I don't even know where to start." This motto shuts that dismay down immediately, because it's not about being successful the first time or getting everything right. It's about doing something, and from that, you'll learn what direction you should take, or a tweak you should make, or maybe you were closer than you thought you'd be after all. If you take the pressure to succeed immediately off yourself, you can accomplish a lot more, and do so quickly. It also prevents you from being too invested in a certain method or project, which isn't always healthy. "Fail Fast" doesn't care if it takes two or a hundred trials, as long as you don't let the task overwhelm you, or prevent you from even beginning.

I find this attitude useful anytime I'm trying something new, whether it's a new recipe, a difficult problem on an exam, or any type of artwork. Its optimistic and process-driven approach reminds me of Dweck's growth mindset. Learning isn't about getting things right immediately, it's about the process of mastering difficult concepts. You don't get there by never starting, you get there by failing fast.

*Note*: I originally posted this at the beginning of the semester, before I actually understood how this class and the extra credit system worked, so I never actually submitted it as an assignment. I deleted the original post and re-posted it with the correct labeling, and added a bit more substance to it.

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