The Only Thing More Costly Than Failure

I don’t know if you ever realized this, but learning how to surf (as in with a surfboard in the ocean) is really HARD.

Growing up in Los Angeles, though my family loved the beach, we weren’t initially surfers. So it wasn’t until a church youth activity when I was 12 that someone actually strapped me to a surfboard and pushed me headlong into the waves.

After what seemed like 12 hours of paddling through never ending sets, I finally made it out to deeper water where a youth leader was waiting to help. By this point I was exhausted and nervous, and my arms felt like Jell-O. And so I opted to wait a bit while I recovered my dignity.

Floating out there, I attempted to do what all the other surfers were doing, which was to sit upright on the board. At my first try, the board tipped over, and I found myself scrambling back on top while spitting seaweed out of my mouth. I tried again, but this time I flipped the other direction.

Even sitting on the stupid thing was hard! The board felt unstable, it easily rocked back and forth, and I struggled to just hold on. How was I ever supposed to stand and be a real surfer?

That’s when my youth leader swam over to me and said a wave was coming. He helped me get the board in position, and I nervously started paddling with all my tired arms could give.

Would I fall over? Would I crash? Would I be embarrassed? I didn’t know what would happen but I had to try.

Scraping the water as fast as I could with my arms, I soon felt the board lift up behind me and my speed increased. The wave was pushing! I had caught the wave!

Which is when I noticed something peculiar.

My surfboard, just minutes before, had been wobbly and impossible to control. Now, with the water racing underneath? It was stable as can be. I leaned this way and that, and felt the board obey and effortlessly slice through the water. Carefully, I got to my knees and attempted to stand.

The surfboard was holding me in place!

Though I soon fell without getting a confident stance, the experience and feeling of racing over the water was exhilarating. I was hooked. More importantly, I marveled at the surfboard.

Though at first it seemed wobbly and uncontrollable in still water, I was amazed at the power, control, and stability it had when water was racing underneath it.

What does this have to do with influence and success?

In life, just like with that surfboard, great ideas initially feel wobbly, unstable, or hard to manage when they’re stuck in our heads.

We overthink. We hesitate. We imagine the worst-case scenario. We aren’t sure it might work.

But something magical happens the moment you start moving.

Dr. Price Pritchett once wrote: “Movement educates you.” And he’s right. You can read all the books, analyze all the theories, and gather all the feedback you want… but until you actually paddle out and catch the wave…or until you actually start putting your idea into motion…you’ll never know how strong your idea is. Or how strong you are.

It’s the motion that teaches you. Not the “thinking about the motion”.

(Photo: my first wave felt THIS big)

William James, hailed as the father of American psychology, once gave three rules for anyone seeking to change their life:

1. Start immediately
2. Do it flamboyantly
3. No exceptions

Why flamboyantly? Because tentative action rarely changes anything. On the other hand, bold movement does. When you move with intention — even if imperfectly — it creates learning, confidence, and opportunities that hesitation and waiting never will.

I’ve seen this over and over again with clients I’ve coached. Someone’s struggling to get traction, not because their idea is bad, but because they’re still sitting on the surfboard, waiting to feel steady before they move. But that’s the trick. You won’t feel steady until you move.

Here’s the point I want you to remember:

The only thing more costly than failure is the cost of doing nothing.

Because nothing is more expensive than waiting, doubting, and over-planning. While you’re trying to perfect the pitch, someone else is out there testing theirs. And because they’re in motion, their ideas stabilize. Their confidence builds. Their influence grows.

Action is the great clarifier. And action is the great stabilizer.

(Photo: In reality, it was probably this big)

So whatever you’ve been holding back on — writing the first chapter, making the call, sending the message, launching the idea — do it. Paddle out. Catch the wave. See what happens when you’re in motion.

And the best part? Once you feel that first wave push you forward, you’ll never forget what it feels like to fly.

See you in the surf.

– Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com