It is like an ornament for the non-creators.
They validate everything that they are supposed to do and always base their actions based on something that has happened before. They call it “fact” and from the perspective of that very fact, they work sincerely to secure themselves from the negative consequences of the act.
Take a typical Indian iOS programmer, for example. She would write code based on what is written somewhere on the internet; in the form of blogs, community forums, Stake Overflow, Google Groups or alike.
She spends more time copy/pasting other’s code and wondering why it does not work as expected for the given App. When you create something, you don’t wonder why it does not work as expected. You know if it works or if it doesn’t.
Similarly, take a typical SEO Content Writer who spends most if not all of his time searching for so-called “facts” that he can refer in his articles that are more often than not, spun version of other, similar articles.
Creator, on the other hand, does not worry much about its validation. Sure, he invests in Validated Learning but the first iteration of that cycle is for sure, not too much validated.
‘Validate Everything’ mindset is a disease. Why? It prevents you from creating something unique.
Consider these examples:
- Leonardo da Vinci did not validate the concept of Mona Lisa.
- Steve Jobs did not validate the concept of iPhone.
- Bill Gates did not validate the concept of Microsoft Office.
- Narayan Murthy did not validate the concept of the Global Delivery Model.
- Brian Clark did not validate the concept of Copyblogger.
- Leo Babauta did not validate the concept of Zen Habits.
They created it, assumed all the risks associated with that creation and as a result, enjoyed the success.
Sure, go ahead and validate what can be validated. But the real creations happen when you have the guts to create and launch something that cannot be validated.
This thinking also impacts the lives of people working with you. If you allow them to validate everything, then it is very unlikely that they will accompany you in creating remarkable something.
Instead, encourage them to create something that cannot be validated and explore the possibility of astounding success.
Did I tell you that in order to encourage your people to do that, you need to have absolute faith in your ability to make the rain; create something out of nothing?
