I again looked through the transcript of an AMA (Ask Me Anything) that Seth Godin held as part of launching a skillshare class.

He answered the question that I asked. It’s a question (and response) that I still think about, and I want to share it here.

The question:

Seth, you’ve talked a lot about the importance of daily trying things that might not work. I’m coming to see this as a worldview/habit/framework from which to operate. I would love to hear your thoughts on making this a habit. I’m especially interested in how to help kids develop that approach to life.

Seth’s response:

Well, does your kid get a hug and an ice cream cone when he gets an A and a perfect report card, or when he experiments and fails?

The deal with doing work that might not work is that we must reward ourselves for smart failures, and punish ourselves for not stretching. It’s the only way.