Some sage advice that can be applied to business from a newsletter on game design by Justin Gary offers a powerful twist on the popular "10,000 hours" trope.

"Get Feedback! It doesn?t take ten thousand hours to master a subject; it takes a thousand feedback cycles."

Why do children master some of the most complex languages in the world by the age of five? Fast frequent feedback loops. Each correction is usually loving and helpful, guiding them rapidly to fluency.

I've experienced firsthand the power of fast, frequent feedback, navigating life in France, Venezuela, Brazil, Japan, and Botswana. Being woefully underfunded and unprepared, I quickly discovered that constant feedback?often through mistakes?was essential to rapid learning.

Fast, frequent feedback also helped me learn music and soccer as an adult, start my own business, design my own game, and understand every role within my company. The key lesson? All your growth lies beyond your comfort zone.

My first French teacher offered a humbling reality check to my initial confidence:

"It takes about 10,000 mistakes to master a language. GET BUSY."

Despite feeling accomplished after spending two months in France, I realized I had thousands of mistakes ahead. The quicker I embraced these errors, the faster I improved. The initial mistakes were tough, but as I built resilience?like callouses on an ego?I found it easier to push forward confidently.

Fast frequent feedback transforms your approach to challenges. Stop caring about critics who aren't in the arena. Accept that the price of mastery is being frequently wrong until you're right. Children don?t doubt their ability to walk or speak?they simply embrace constant feedback without fear.

This is neuroplasticity in action.

By deliberately adopting fast frequent feedback cycles, your brain shifts into a child-like learning mode, making rapid progress possible. Mistakes become stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks, opening paths to achievements you've only dreamed of.

So, in your business embrace fast, frequent feedback with the courage of a two-year-old. Are your peers overly critical? Find new ones. In an infinitely networked world, fellow learners are everywhere, ready to join your journey of continuous improvement.

All you have to do is accept being temporarily foolish.

"A fool who knows he is a fool, is not a big fool." ? Zen saying.

About Chris Salter:

Chris Salter is an experienced entrepreneur and Longmont Startup Board member who has guided entrepreneurs through insightful sessions for over five years. As the founder of several startups, Chris simplifies key startup concepts and equips entrepreneurs with actionable tools to overcome common business challenges.

Entrepreneur & Startup Strategist

Business Acceleration Network Contributor