Last week, my dearest niece started pre-school, and, as is conventional, I wished her success. But, I was lying. What I actually wish for her is failure. For I believe in the power failure has in aiding one to obtain their desired success.
Success is tedious for it is merely proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or that you have done something correctly the first time, which can often be a problematical victory as it is usually a fluke. First-time failure, by contrast, is expected for this is the natural order of things.
Failure provides one with the means of acquiring knowledge. I have been constantly reminded that a good cook is "she who has broken many pots” for if you've spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken these pots, you probably ought to know a fair amount about cooking. Therefore, failure gives one credibility
Recently is read of a trapeze artist who spent three years putting together an act. She did it successfully for years with the Cirque du Soleil. There was no reason for her to change the act, but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and this led to her boredom and if she was bored, there was no point in subjecting her body to all that stress. So she changed the act. She risked failure and profound public embarrassment in order to feed her soul. And if she can do that 15 feet in the air, we all should be able to do it.
I am convinced that the more you fail in life, the better chances you have to learn from your mistakes and become successful. In fact, the way I see failure is that we are always getting it right even when it appears we have made a mistake or failed. It leads to a greater understanding and wisdom for us to overcome our obstacles and have a better and brighter future. Failure can be considered a better teacher than success.
My niece is a perfectionist, probably too much of one. She will feel her failures, and I will want to comfort her. But I will also,...