Don't get frustrated. Get smarter.

If you’re like me than you’ve had plenty of ideas fall flat on their face. You’ve seen your best laid plans fall apart, or even worse, get executed, but then languish in obscurity.

But if you’re like me, then you’ve also felt the thrill of something taking off, even if just momentarily. It’s like the crack of a baseball hitting the bat. You hear and feel it, and in that split second you know it’s over the fence. It comes in many forms. A sudden spike in traffic. A burst of emails in your inbox. A round of applause.

But, at least for me, it isn’t always common. Sometimes there are long stretches when it feels like things aren’t working, and I get frustrated.

But if I take the time to step back, look at the experience, and pull out some lessons learned, then I’m better equipped for my next project.

I do it in a couple ways, like leaving annotations in my Google analytics account, or tracking my lessons learned the hard way. How I do it doesn’t matter as much as establishing a habit that ensures no attempt is ever wasted. The side benefit is that I get some ego-soothing consolation that If I’m not getting success, then at least I’m getting smarter.