The full meaning of failing fast

She fell, but got up, and continued to skateboard, albeit avoiding the sand later.

"Failing fast" is a popular idea that's about more than just saving time and effort by catching mistakes early. But, in my opinion, it's also about the ability of trying over and over again without giving up.

Everyone who's made it big - artists, inventors, you name it - will tell you their success came from hard work and a bit of luck. But the hard work part? It's mostly about bouncing back from failures. James Dyson messed up 5,126 times before he got his vacuum right. Robert Frank took 28,000 photos for his book "The Americans," but only 83 made the cut. These stories show us that quick failures can actually lead us to success if we're willing to learn from them.

It's like learning to ride a bike. You're going to fall. But it's those falls that teach you how to stay on. There's this Japanese saying, "七転び八起き" (fall down seven times, stand up eight), that nails it. Success is all about not giving up, even when you keep messing up.

So, "failing fast" isn't just about avoiding wasting valuable effort on late mistakes. It's also about keeping on going, to learn from each fall, and to keep trying until you get it right.