Failure & Failing In Public – Ep 104

What’s happening with the Geek Whisperers? Where have my weekly episodes been? Well, we have to admit we’ve failed you, fair listeners. And we’re going to admit it in the open.

This episode covers:

• Falling behind on podcasting
• Life getting away from us
• Trying to be This American Life for Geeks and not hitting the mark
• Failing to admit we failed and move on
• Personal stories from Amy, John and Matt on personal failures
  • Beyond the inoculation from failure we’re used to today
  • Startup missteps and the impact on a sense of self
  • Demos failing and making you feel like a fake
• It’s more relatable to be imperfect than perfect
• Thankful for family and friends who help us get back on track

Thank you all for continuing to listen and keep us inspired!

p.s., here’s Ira Glass on the gap between your goals and what you actually produce (video version):

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

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