

Startups, I want to challenge the concept of having a “Plan B” - brianchu
http://bobbyonboard.com/startups-i-want-to-challenge-the-concept-of-having-a-plan-b

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kstenerud
No, no, and no.

There is no one way to do things that will work every time. Real life isn't
like that. Some things call for a narrow focus, while others require you to
keep a pulse on trends to decide whether to stay the course, retreat, or even
jump ship and start on plan B.

Life isn't like some college exam, where everyone faces the same challenge and
some pass while others don't. Life is far, far messier than that. People who
tell the tale of their success have no idea how little impact most of their
actions had in contributing to that success. They have a sampling size of 1
and extrapolate everything they consider to be a virtue in themselves to have
contributed. Yes, our egos are that big.

So the next time you hear someone talking about how they chose something and
focused on it intently for years, understand that it only worked because they
got lucky. Lucky because their choice was something that they were capable of
doing well and enjoying. Lucky because it was something that could generate
money for as long as they needed it to. Lucky because they happened to meet
the right people to make it possible. More often than not, you aren't lucky,
and one of the things in the long chain of required events breaks. What could
otherwise have been a smashing success fizzles out instead. When that happens,
all you can do is stop, admit defeat, learn from what went wrong, and start
with your next plan.

