Oct 8, 2026 · 6 min · 3 segments
**Alan** **provides a new Thursday Thought episode.** In today's Thursday Thought, Alan describes 2 types of commitment that inventors make to their businesses. You'll learn why committing yourself…
Alan BeckleyHost
Either, one, committed to do the best you can and to see how it works out, or committed to do whatever it takes to succeed.
So let's start with one, committed to do the best you can and to see how it works out.
This is a good place to start because, in the beginning, this is the commitment that just about every inventor makes to their business.
Honestly, it really sounds like a strong commitment, doesn't it? I commit to do the best I can, and to see how it works out.
I mean, all anyone can do is the best they can, right? And the ultimate measure of success for any business is that it worked out well.
It was worth it, right? Well, here's the critical flaw in this two-part commitment.
In the beginning of any new venture, you're going to be new at it, and everything will be challenging.
Being the best that you can won't mean much early on because, to put it bluntly, you're going to suck at it.
You're going to get better at it only by putting in the reps, as any successful athlete does.
You get knocked down, you get back up, dust yourself off, learn some lessons, and start again, and again, and again.
For a very long time, while you are putting in the reps and learning through the school of hard knocks, it won't be working out well at all, will it? Trial and error is time-consuming and costly.
You may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars chasing down dead ends, blind alleys that just don't work out.
Quite often, you will quit because you don't realize that your best is actually getting better after each frustrating trial, and it is very close to, quote, "finally working out for you." You give up with the goal line within sight.
Think about any professional athlete, whether it's Patrick Mahomes in football, Michael Jordan in basketball, or Lindsey Vonn in downhill skiing.
Either, one, committed to do the best you can and to see how it works out, or committed to do whatever it takes to succeed.
So let's start with one, committed to do the best you can and to see how it works out.
This is a good place to start because, in the beginning, this is the commitment that just about every inventor makes to their business.
Honestly, it really sounds like a strong commitment, doesn't it? I commit to do the best I can, and to see how it works out.
I mean, all anyone can do is the best they can, right? And the ultimate measure of success for any business is that it worked out well.
It was worth it, right? Well, here's the critical flaw in this two-part commitment.
In the beginning of any new venture, you're going to be new at it, and everything will be challenging.
Being the best that you can won't mean much early on because, to put it bluntly, you're going to suck at it.
You're going to get better at it only by putting in the reps, as any successful athlete does.
You get knocked down, you get back up, dust yourself off, learn some lessons, and start again, and again, and again.
For a very long time, while you are putting in the reps and learning through the school of hard knocks, it won't be working out well at all, will it? Trial and error is time-consuming and costly.
You may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars chasing down dead ends, blind alleys that just don't work out.
Quite often, you will quit because you don't realize that your best is actually getting better after each frustrating trial, and it is very close to, quote, "finally working out for you." You give up with the goal line within sight.
Think about any professional athlete, whether it's Patrick Mahomes in football, Michael Jordan in basketball, or Lindsey Vonn in downhill skiing.
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