I’m a big believer that the most fun happens when you ignore the rules and boundaries and ask “what would happen if…?”

  • What would happen if… we could fly?
  • What would happen if… we could tap to pay instead of using cash/credit cards?
  • What would happen if… I could figure out how the female brain worked? ;-)

In fact, that was how 23press got started: “what would happen if… we could move blogs?” The best “WWHI” statements start simple, and expand as, through failure/success you figure out where you want to go. For 23press, that first WWHI statement turned into “what would happen if… blog management was dead simple?” and a whole host of other things. Cool things.

This weekend, my latest “WWHI” was:

What would happen if… people had a fail-friendly venue.

Think about it for a second.

Maybe I’m off my rocker.

But. I’m a big proponent of failing. Fail faster. If we aren’t failing daily we aren’t trying hard enough. Let’s fail and see what works, then fail again and see what works and then fail again until we beat the competition. All things my teams have heard me say in past startups.

Too often these days, we talk about failure. But we shy away from it. We go to events to learn, but not to fail. Even StartupWeekend, amazing as it is, is ultimately geared to learning to succeed via overcoming failure. Success is championed.

What would happen if… people had a venue where if you weren’t failing, you were failing?

What would happen if… we held an event where failure was the goal?

What would happen if… it wasn’t the “strong” teaching the “weak”, but the “weak” enjoying the flipping journey instead of pushing to succeed.

What would happen if… we championed the failures, the hilarity of it, and the fun of just doing it (not-TM Nike).

Me, I’m attempting to fail by asking the questions. Yes, I want to see this happen. Yes, I have thoughts. But this only works if there are a communty of #FailTards. I’d like to see a #FailWeekend this summer in Toronto.

Are you in?

Interested?

Think I’m stupid (outside of the norm)?

Open to failing in public, for no other reason than to break our personal need to always flipping win and succeed and do well?

It’s the people who are willing to let go of the boundaries and try shit knowing we might just curb stomp ourselves that win.

Want to be one of them? Used to be one and want to be again?

Comment below. Blog. Tweet. Bitch me out.

If you don’t join me, I’ll keep failing anyway. Trust me.

Note: No, this isn’t startup specific. Though I’m pretty sure learning to fail again will be good for all startups.