Nobody knows what they’re doing. There is no such thing as proof. I’m fascinated by science and philosophy. Our world is humbling, and our use of language is skillful. Yet, our daily lives often require much certainty. Often, we forget that this reality because a degree of certainty is a necessity to function.
You would never skip the elevator and jump off the side of a building to get somewhere faster. One, that would be insane. But, two, you’re reasonably certain that gravity exists. The fall would end you. Data driven jobs, most of them, require us to reach higher levels of knowing to make decisions. It can be stifling.
We need grace. All science provides us with the best current model. It’s impermanent. Which, is unsettling, but super useful. In context, I think about life as a marketer and founder. You have a limited amount of runway (money in the bank). The biggest priority is to drive success and growth while making sure you can live to fight another fiscal period. Who doesn’t want certainty?
Hence, we do our best to create the best current model. A model for understanding for what customers will do if we move a checkout button, change a CTA, or update the copy in our abandon cart email. We try to forecast the impact of each advertising dollar. We attempt to know the future. We don’t have a clue.
Test your hypotheses. Trust your informed intuition. Assume a margin of error, or add a discount rate to your certainty. Be bold but be responsible. Take risks, not chances. And, when you encounter failure, give yourself grace.