Right now, we’re seeing a flood of companies rushing headlong into AI convinced it will lift them over the hardest part of the climb. The problem? Their data, their processes, and their product fundamentals aren’t ready.
In climbing, falling is expected. It’s part of the process. If you aren’t falling, you aren’t getting out of your comfort zone. Success in your startup sits outside your comfort zone. If it was comfortable, everyone would do it and entrepreneurship would be the norm and not the exception.
I'm reminded of a quote by Alan Watts which goes "You can't get wet from the word 'water.'" How do you make someone understand the feeling of being wet if they have never touched water?
Someone said something very interesting that made me stop and really think. They said "It's a shame that our biggest companies profit off of pain and suffering instead of actual health and wellness!".
Building a startup and climbing a rock face both demand an uncomfortable blend of vision, problem-solving, risk, and perseverance. You can’t fake it, you can’t skip steps, and you can’t rely on someone else to pull you up. You have to climb your own route.
Learn how AI helps designers, developers, and creators push through the hardest parts of a project, from idea to deployment, using lessons from climbing and real-world app design.
Over the past year, climbing and UX design have oddly started to blur together in my brain. Both are about navigating problems, facing fears, and making decisions with limited information, ideally without falling to your death (or rage quitting).