"The Best Design Advice I Ever Got" with Tim Kadlec
Name:
Tim Kadlec
Job Experience:
Web Developer
Most Notable Achievement:
Author of Implementing Responsive Design and Co-founder of Breaking Development Conference
Advice:
John Wooden is perhaps the greatest college basketball coach in the history of he NCAA. He coached his UCLA basketball team to 10 NCAA national titles, including 7 in a row. Four times, his teams went 30-0, and at one point his teams won 88 consecutive games.
Given all that perfection, it sounds kind of funny when you read these words of wisdom that he passed along:
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
Making mistakes and being wrong isn't something to be afraid of. Instead, it's a sign that we're pushing ourselves to expand our skill set, reaching beyond our comfort zones and learning something new.
On the other hand, if you find you're always "right" it may be a sign that you aren't challenging yourself enough, that you've become too comfortable and stagnant. You don't get better at your craft, whether that is basketball, design, or programming, by playing it safe or standing still.
Experiment. Question the status quo. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Don't worry if you occasionally make a mistake, or find you were wrong about something. It's when you find that you are always "right" that you should start to worry.