One of my favorite words in the startup and product-building world is pivot.
For a long time, I thought a failed project meant wasted time. Today, I see it differently.
Every project I worked on—even the ones that never gained users or reached the finish line—taught me something I couldn't have learned from books alone. They taught me how to validate ideas, communicate with users, make technical decisions, prioritize features, and, most importantly, when to change direction.
I've come to believe that many successful founders didn't succeed because they had the perfect first idea. They succeeded because their previous attempts gave them the experience to recognize a better opportunity.
In fact, I think that if many of them had started directly with the project that eventually made them successful, they might have failed. They first needed the lessons, the mistakes, and the discipline that came from building things that didn't work.
I'm still on that journey.
Some of my own projects didn't succeed the way I had hoped, but I don't consider them failures. They were investments in experience. Every project made me a better builder and helped me better understand what I want to create and how I should create it.
One principle that keeps me moving comes from the Quran:
«"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves." (Quran 13:11)»
And another verse that reminds me to stay patient during difficult times:
«"Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear." (Quran 2:286)»
If you're building something today and it isn't working, don't be afraid to pivot. Sometimes changing direction isn't giving up—it's applying everything you've learned so far.
I'm curious:
Have you ever pivoted a project? What did it teach you?
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