I teach people to aim to fail 50% of their important projects and goals.

I know, it sounds crazy. But bear with me… I actually think this is the key to implementing projects that matter.

Aiming to fail 50 per cent of your projects is the perfect way to embrace the risk inherent in any worthwhile project. It also helps you launch better projects. If you are considering an edgy project and you’re not willing to fail, you will probably let it pass you by.

However, if you are aiming to fail 50 per cent of your projects you won’t be attached to succeeding with each one. You have the freedom to start projects that are at the perimeter of what you think is possible—projects that light you up, challenge you, and that aren’t safe.

This zone right at the edge of what you think is possible is where magic happens. It’s where you get breakthrough results. And perhaps even more importantly, it’s where you learn the most.

This intent also helps you complete projects. If you are not scared of failing, it’s much easier to go hard for the finish line, without being worried about what it will mean if you complete a project and fail.

I love to ski, although truth be told I’m not that good at it. But I’ll have a crack at skiing down just about anything. If at the end of a full day’s skiing I realise I haven’t fallen over all day, I think to myself that I probably wasn’t trying hard enough, or pushing myself enough. I was playing too safe.

It’s the same if I get to the end of a month or a quarter and I have achieved all my goals. It probably means that I set the bar too low and didn’t have enough edgy goals and projects on the go that were going to test me and light up my world.