Welcome to One Thing Better. Each week, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine (that’s me) shares one way to be happier and more effective at work — and build a career or company you love.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Dare Gift Boxes, a perfect gift for the holidays. See details at the end of the newsletter.
You made the wrong decision. Now you’re doubting yourself.
Maybe you said yes, when you should have said no. Maybe you said the wrong thing or turned in bad work.
Or maybe you’re like Lauren, a reader who just emailed me this:
I recently hired someone, and it’s been a nightmare. They’re condescending and confrontational. But here’s the worst part — I saw red flags when I interviewed them, and ignored them! Now I’m unsure if I can trust myself.
Here’s my answer to Lauren, and to you: Give yourself a break.
And here’s how to do it:
Today, I’ll give you three questions to ask yourself — and once you truly consider them, you’ll have an easier time growing, changing, and making peace with the past.
Let’s go through them — and then I’ll share how they impacted Lauren.
First question…
1. Did I do the best with what I had?
To explain this, I want to take you back — to when I got the biggest job of my life.
I became editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine in 2016, and I felt instantly overwhelmed. I was used to working at magazines with larger staffs, but Entrepreneur is a family-owned company with a lean operation. I kept thinking: How will I do everything I did before, but with fewer people?
I soon realized: I couldn’t. And once I accepted that, opportunities opened up.
Because here’s the thing: I, like you, do not have all the resources I want. Or the time. Or connections. Or knowledge. We just DON’T.
So what do we do? Often, we sit around thinking: “I could be so much better, if only I had more…” — and then our actual accomplishments feel smaller, because they don’t match our fantasies of abundance.
That’s why I came up with a mantra for myself, which I’ve written about before. For every project I take on, I repeatedly tell myself: I will do the best work with the resources available.
I accept my limitations as a starting point. Then I measure myself by how I use them. This is what’s fair and realistic — because no matter the restrictions, I know I can do something great.
Now apply that thinking to your past.
Maybe you’re ashamed or embarrassed by a decision you made. But ask yourself: Did I do the best with what I had?
The answer is probably yes. Your decision wasn’t random or foolish. Instead, it was informed by the knowledge, experience, needs, interests, curiosities, and desires you had at the time.
Now you know more! That doesn’t make you a fool. It makes you a person who collections information and adapts. That’s the best trait of all.
Next question:
2. Did I learn X in order to know Y?
We hold ourselves to the wrong standard. And that standard is efficiency.
We want to get something, and then use it to succeed. Nice and tidy. Like this:
But life doesn’t work like that. Instead, it’s more like this:
In other words: Life isn’t about acquisition and usage. It’s about collection and assembly. We wander around, pick up pieces, and then figure out what they’re good for.
Think about the last time you felt embarrassed by a decision. Now ask yourself: Did I need to learn that, in order to do what I really want?
The answer is probably yes. Which made the past worth it. We learn by experience.
Now, final question:
3. What if I’m just always doing it wrong?
This sounds like a haunting question. But should be a liberating one.
In their book The Startup of You, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha write this:
“Finished” ought to be an F-word for all of us. Because when it comes to our career, we are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more, grow more, often in unexpected or unpredictable ways.
Everyone should consider themselves in “permanent beta”, they write — as if you, and your work, are in a constant state of testing.
I really love this phrase, because it changes the stakes. We often beat ourselves up for our flaws — but a product in beta is supposed to have bugs! That’s not a problem; it’s just part of a process.
The truth is this:
✅ What you did before is imperfect.
✅ What you’re doing now is imperfect.
✅ What you’ll do next is imperfect.
And if that’s true, then imperfection can’t be held against us. We can instead be measured by our willingness to grow — to solve today’s problems, and create even better problems next.
Now let’s apply all that.
I shared the above with Lauren, the reader who regretted hiring the wrong person.
Let’s go through her answers:
1. Did Lauren do the best with what she had?
Yes.
Lauren has a new business, was in desperate need of help, and wanted to hire fast. Also, the person she hired has skills that Lauren lacks — so she thought, “I’m seeing red flags, but maybe I don’t know better?”
In other words: Lauren was rushed, lacked experience, and doubted herself. She made the best decision she could, given all that.
2. Did Lauren need to learn X, in order to know Y?
Yes.
This experience taught Lauren a lot: She now knows not to rush a hire, and what to look for in job candidates. And because this new hire was so condescending, it taught Lauren something else:
“This person kept criticizing me, and now I’m much more aware of being empathetic to others,” Lauren says. “I’d like to think I was always empathetic, but now it’s top of mind. That makes me a better leader.”
3. Will Lauren always be doing it wrong?
Yes.
But that’s OK, Lauren now realizes. She fired this person, and now gets to start again — knowing that each step is imperfect, but better than the last.
You can apply these questions anywhere — to business or personal decisions. To late-night deadlines or one-night stands.
Your past is just a series of data points, in an experiment that will never end. When you appreciate that, and the future becomes much easier to build.
That’s how to do one thing better.
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