Permanent Beta

Recently I read an article written by FunnyBizz which made reference to the term “Permanent Beta.” This term resonated with me given the way I live my life. To sum up my approach and strategy to life in two words was quite profound.

Beta is a term used in software development to define an application or code that is tested, feature complete yet available earlier for the general public (or a select group of people) to try out for feedback purposes. Apply that term to life and it is quite apt. We are all in beta. We’re not perfect, we all have bugs and imperfections. Furthermore, we all could use improvement in some way. Our brains take on feedback each and every day to get better at what we do, how we communicate and where we can make improvements; if we choose to do so of course.

Permanent is a strong word and binary in that we either always do it or we do not. To be clear it is significant choice we make on whether we dedicate to something consistently for the rest of our lives. The original reference of the term permanent beta was to always seek improvement and to never be satisfied with every public speaking performance. The same can be said about life. With everything we do, never be satisfied and always look to improve by seeking feedback from others.