Takeaway One: Failure doesn't mean game over. It means, try again ... with experience.
So what? I hate to fail. Hate it. I mean, 99% of the time I won't try something I might be bad at doing. I live a very safe (aka: boring) life most of the time. I fear the stigma of failure. I fear the misery of failure. I fear the defeat of failure. I hate to fail. But, I've lived long enough to know there's not really any other way to succeed but to endure some failure. I will strive not to fear failure but to embrace it as an opportunity to learn and to do better with the next attempt. I will not be paralyzed by the fear of failure. I will continue to attempt new and greater things despite my fear.
Takeaway Two: Nobody can ride one business model through the life of his career. Adapt.
So what? It is okay if what once worked is no longer effective. It doesn't mean it never worked. It's okay to embrace new ideas and change. A very wise 78 year old woman reminded me earlier this week, "All that is old is not bad, and all that is new is not good; neither is all that is old good, or all that is new bad."
Takeaway Three: In the face of unknowability (an uncertain future), rational behavior requires small steps based on what you've got in hand. Start with what you care about.
So what? Doing something is better than doing nothing. I don't know what my organization or program looks like a year from now, but I do know who and what I have been given today, and I can move forward tomorrow with those provisions. I exhaust myself (and many around me) with my attempts to see the future. Rather than worrying about what might happen down the road, I can move forward by concerning myself with finding firm ground for the very next step in front of me.
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