Brian Armstong, Coinbase CEO, talks about how the many revelations he had in the past when building Coinbase.
Especially in the pre-product market fit.
He credited his success mainly from just keeping on doing stuff by shipping multiple features instead of debating endlessly.
By experimenting, failing, learning, and doing it all over again.
“Action produces information,” he said, “Just keep on doing stuff.”
He borrows this from Paul Graham, who said:
“Startups are like sharks. If they stop swimming, they die.’”
When you decide to do something, whether it is starting a business, building a new product feature, asking for a salary raise, applying for your dream jobs, cold-DMing people, asking for that girl’s number, asking for feedback, learning new skills, asking for a coffee discount as suggested by Noah Kagan,making tough decisions, etc., you will learn something, which then will produce information such as if they like it, how they react, if they reject you (trust me, they will) that can be used as new information for you to improve.
Most people don’t take steps into the unknown because it’s scary.
Most people don’t even have the guts to look to the other side of the life they hate because of fear.
Fear of taking small steps to the uncharted areas where everything feels so unfamiliar and strange.
It scared the shit out of them (me too).
Imagine that you are hiking up a foggy mountain.
Due to the dense fog, the hill is completely hidden from view, making you anxious about the challenges you didn’t even know.
There could be a cliff, a bear, a storm, and sandy and rocky trails that make your steps harder.
But you don’t give up; you keep moving forward, taking small and careful steps until the other side of the mountain is slowly revealed.
Taking small steps produces information.
If you’re not sure what to do, do anything. It’s counterintuitive as fuck, as our brains are wired more for planning and thinking before we decide to act.
Taking action, especially in the face of fear, can be a powerful tool for personal growth and development.
You never know where it might lead you to a place of self-discovery and transformation that you never thought possible.
