Second Chances Are More Significant Than We Think

And certainly more informative than getting something right the first time.

3d render of half a dozen people solving a mammoth lego puzzle from different positions — by DALL·E

In our society, there is an implicit belief in the significance of getting something right the first time. Second chances are for losers because champions must have an instinct that prevents them from failing in critical situations. Naturally, anyone with an ounce of interest in history and half a gram of common sense will know that most, if not all, of those who shaped history did so after many early stumbles.

Indeed, there is an element of fortune whenever we succeed at something on our first attempt. Getting something right the first time due to conscious planning and rational analysis is near impossible because strategy and reason often require trial and error. Our experience and training merely reduce the number of mistakes we are prone to make, increasing the odds of us getting it right eventually.

Many of our socially accepted winners seem predisposed to this cut-throat approach of getting things right the first time. The more attractive our organisation is, the more we can offer someone to work for us. The more people who desire to be part of our endeavour, the higher the standard we can demand of them. Thus, entry tests and interviews may become stricter in our goal to select…