Can the past inform the future?

One question I often ask myself is “can the past help inform the future?”

I think it can.  

I often find myself thinking about things that have happened in the past, and using the lessons learnt to help me do that same thing more effectively in the future.  

This approach to learning has been very useful for me. I am not a fan of believing that just because something wasn't successful first time, that you shouldn't try again.

An example might be when I first learnt to ride a bike I fell off repeatedly. If I was a firm believer that because I fell off the first time that means I will never learn to ride a bike I would still be walking everywhere. I believe firmly in the opposite,  that to achieve a desired outcome often means repeated failure before getting to success.  

Of course what is needed is an adjustment in how something gets done, a bit trial and error like, before the magic formula is hit upon. So to ride a bike I needed to find my centre of gravity when sitting on the bike and keep the peddles turning whilst steering ahead. Anyway, you get my point.  

When it comes to our business I often think that learning from the past successes and failures are great ways of strengthening our roadmap. The key is to learn and adjust, not copy and paste from the past. I think about this too when it comes to the way I do my own work, making sure I can work in a way that means I am efficient and not frustrated by doing things the long way round.  

I have always loved learning, I can't say I am the world’s best at manual tasks such as putting up shelves, but I am always willing to have a go. I love that in our business we have the fantastic Nash Academy to dip into and improve our skills or learn completely new things. I challenge myself to keep learning; sometimes succeeding and often falling off the bike, so to speak, but always ready to get right back on and try again.  

I hope you enjoy your learning journey too.