In 2014, Amazon shook up the tech world by launching the Amazon Fire Phone. Under the leadership of Jeff Bezos, Amazon seemed primed to disrupt the smartphone market just as it had done with books, e-commerce, and streaming. The excitement was palpable, but the Fire Phone bombed. This flop cost Amazon a staggering $170 million in unsold inventory and hit the company stock hard, wiping out 11% of its value in a single day. The Fire Phone was discontinued just over a year after its launch. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Amazon had miscalculated on an epic scale. Or did they?
In our world, we’re conditioned to chase the “right” choice. We’re told to plan, analyze, and wait until all the stars align. But the truth is, there is no perfect decision. Life is chaotic, and if we constantly try to make flawless choices, we can end up making no choice at all—a condition widely known as “analysis paralysis.” The real power, though, doesn’t lie in making perfect decisions—it lies in what you do with your decisions after you make them. The best leaders and the most successful people understand that it’s not about making flawless choices; it’s about making choices right. I learned about this transformative idea the hard way.
When I started my company, I didn’t have all the answers—far from it. I was just a guy with a vision and a whole lot of grit. Like any startup founder, I wrestled with doubt and lost countless hours of sleep over decisions that kept me on edge. The stress even landed me in the hospital a few times. But a turning point came when I learned that the key is to strive for progress, not perfection, and to keep moving forward, no matter what.
There’s an undeniable power in momentum, and when you stop obsessing over the “right” choice and focus on making progress, you stay in motion. This forward momentum prevents you from getting bogged down in endless deliberation. Think about it. People don’t become successful by making perfect decisions. They get there by making progress.
Whether it pans out or flops, every decision is an opportunity to evolve. Instead of worrying about whether you’ve made the right choice, ask yourself, “How can I grow from this decision?” Shifting your focus from perfection to progress frees you from the fear of failure. It lets you take risks, make mistakes, and keep pushing forward.
When you aim for “right” decisions, it’s usually because you’re trying to meet someone else’s standards. But when you focus on making your choices work, you’re the one in control. One of the most empowering things you can do is take full responsibility for the outcome of your decisions, whether they lead to success or not. It’s about ownership, not blame.
The Fire Phone flop is a prime example of this philosophy in action. Amazon didn’t let the failure drag them down. They owned the failure, extracted the lessons, and applied those insights to future projects. That’s what owning your choices looks like in action. The setbacks from the Fire Phone directly influenced the development of successful devices like the Amazon Echo and Fire TV. As a matter of fact, Jeff Bezos reportedly told the Fire Phone team to “not lose a minute of sleep” over the failure, reinforcing Amazon’s commitment to learning from mistakes rather than being defined by them.
So, if you’re ready to leave the endless cycle of indecision and start building real momentum in your career or life, here are three steps to get you on the right track:
1. Decide with confidence, even if it’s imperfect. Trust yourself to make the best choice with the information you have. Stop waiting for perfect conditions—take the plunge and figure it out as you go.
2. Prioritize action over perfection. If you’re caught in analysis paralysis, give yourself a deadline. Commit to making a choice by that date, then move. You can always make adjustments along the way.
3. Learn from every outcome. After each major decision, reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you can apply those lessons moving forward. Every choice has a takeaway, whether it ends in triumph or setback.
So, next time you’re faced with uncertainty, remember that it’s not about making the right decision. It’s about making the decision right. That mindset will carry you further than any “perfect” choice ever could.