Dare to Make Mistakes

My wife recently gifted me a new book of Rick Rubin in which I found this: “If a creator is so afraid of judgement that they’re unable to move forward, it might be that the desire to share the work isn’t as strong as the desire to protect themselves. Perhaps art isn’t their role.”

I immediately related this to my job because as a senior+ engineer you have to make decisions, pitch your vision, and convince others. And you might be afraid of doing that because you are worried about being wrong.

But it’s normal to ask a silly question, be wrong, and even fail. It’s inevitable. That’s part of the process. Don’t let that fear hold you back.

Share your work even if it doesn’t look great. You can fix it in the next iteration. It is better than delaying your work or waiting for someone else to make decision for you.