It’s easy to jump to conclusions too quickly.
Last night, I went to the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, to see my Missouri Tigers play Ohio State. Through the first 40 minutes or so, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. Ohio State led 3-0 at halftime. Missouri could barely move the ball on offense. There were a lot of Missouri fans near us who were angry, distraught, or dismayed. (Many were all three.)
And then, in the final 20 minutes, everything flipped. Missouri scored a touchdown, then scored another, then forced a fumble to put the game away. Final score: 14-3, Missouri.
My analysis of the game looked a lot different after 60 minutes of football instead of just 40 minutes.
It’s a reminder for me, whether you’re watching football or working on a new project, that there’s a tendency to decide that things are over a little too soon. I know I’ve been guilty of declaring that something won’t work — even if I don’t have the data I really need to make that decision.
Often, the right move is it let everything play out. Once you have all the data, then you can look at what happened, break down the numbers, and decide what to do next.
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That’s the photo I took of the post-game celebration at the Cotton Bowl.