Why Iteration is the only way forward
Why Iteration is the Only Way Forward
In nature, progress doesn’t come from prediction. It comes from adaptation. Each generation survives or fails based on how well it fits the world around it. No organism knows what will happen next. It simply responds, adjusts, and passes on whatever traits helped it get by. Over time, this process of trial and error leads to evolution. Nature doesn’t need a plan. It just needs time.
This same principle applies across every domain of human effort. Whether you’re solving scientific problems, designing products, or trying to understand yourself, the path forward is always iterative. Trying to get things right in one shot is not just unrealistic; it’s fundamentally unnatural.
Take science. The scientific method is built on the idea that we don’t know. A hypothesis is a guess. An experiment is a test. The result tells us whether we’re closer or further from the truth. No real discovery happens all at once. Newton had to revise his ideas. Einstein’s work didn’t cancel Newton’s, it built on it. Even theories that feel complete today are still open to revision. Science doesn’t aim for perfection. It aims for better versions.
The same is true in product design. Apple didn’t start with the iPhone 14. It started with version one. It was clunky by today’s standards. Limited battery. No App Store. But it was a start. Each version after that addressed specific problems and added capabilities based on real-world use. Feedback drove progress. The success of the iPhone didn’t come from a perfect vision. It came from a commitment to iteration.
Even personal growth works this way. People often think they need a perfect plan before making a change. But clarity doesn’t come from thinking alone. It comes from doing something, then learning from it. You can’t think your way into a new identity. You have to live your way into one. That means trying, failing, adjusting, and trying again. You grow the same way a tree does, season by season, not all at once.
This is also why artificial intelligence, as it exists today, has real limits. It doesn’t evolve. It doesn’t live in the world. It doesn’t test its ideas through survival or consequences. It generates based on what already exists. Even the most advanced models are still bounded by the data they’ve been fed. Without the ability to experience and iterate in the real world, AI can’t truly create new things. It can simulate novelty, but not produce it from lived trial and error.
The lesson across all of this is simple. Versions are not just a part of the process. They are the process. Whether you’re writing a story, building a startup, learning a skill, or trying to understand life, you’re not supposed to get it right the first time. The goal is to keep going, keep adjusting, and keep moving forward.
So if you’re stuck waiting for the perfect plan or the perfect conditions, you’re already off track. Start with what you have. Build version one. Then use what you learn to make version two. This is how nature works. This is how we work. And it’s the only way anything truly new ever comes into being.