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"You might say that we have PhD's in planning and kindergarten educations in doing." -- Dr. Ryan Babineaux and Dr. John KrumboltzDo you remember learning the alphabet?
Of course not, but I guarantee that you learned by practice, and that you failed many times before you succeeded.
As
we dive into the new year with renewed vigor, stop for a moment and
take stock of your habits. Are you failing enough? If all of your
efforts are resulting in home runs, you might need to play a bigger
game, a game based on your powerful identity.
In Art and Fear,
David Bayles and Ted Orland describe an interesting experiment
conducted by a ceramics teacher who was curious about the effect of
practice on skills. At the beginning of the semester, the teacher
divided his classroom into two groups. In the first group, students
were told that they could earn better grades by simply producing more
pots, regardless of the quality. If they produced 50 pots, they would
get an A, 40 would earn them a B, 30 a C, and so on. The second group
was told that their grades depended solely on the quality of the pots
they produced.
Predictably, the first group got right to it,
producing as many pots as possible, while the second group was more
careful and considerate of the best ways to make the best pots.
The teacher was surprised when he discovered that the students who
made the most pots, the students who were graded on quantity rather than
quality, also made the best pots.
You see, the practice of making pots naturally resulted in better
quality: the students in the first group became more familiar with the
intricacies of the kiln, and the ways in which various positions
affected the aesthetics of their pots.
You could say it this way: The students who failed the most, succeeded the most.
Although Thomas Edison is famous for inventing the light
bulb, he did no such thing. The light bulb was actually around for more
than 50 years before Edison perfected it. He just solved two seemingly
intractable problems: the expense and the fast burnout out of the first
incandescent bulbs.
Edison's approach was unique. He was not afraid to fail until he succeeded. The number of times he tried is legendary.
"I have not failed, not once. I've discovered ten thousand ways that don't work." -Thomas EdisonWhat
would be worth a thousand failures to you? What will you keep working
on, no matter how many times you must try to succeed? If you don't have
an answer, it's time to engage in some introspection. It's time to
find out who you are, and let your passions reveal themselves.
You
can't predict when your inspiration will happen. This is why it is so
important to make sure that you are aware of yourself and what you love.
This is why it matters so much that your organize your life around
your identity. When you do that, opportunities for inspiration will show
up. But if you are living someone else's idea of success, your natural
inborn powerful curiosity will be thwarted. You won't discover why you
are here. Nothing will be worth trying a thousand times.
And that, my friends is a tragedy.
In Failing Fast, Failing Often,
the authors describe the experience of a Tibetan Lama, who stated that
he found that the saddest thing about Americans is that they cheat
themselves out of the enjoyment of their lives. They don't follow their
passions. They often ignore their inner voice when they are drawn to
something.
What are you ignoring because you are afraid? If you
were born to write, pick up that pen and write badly. If you always
wanted to learn ballroom dancing, sign up for a class. If you have an
inkling about a project that might transform the culture of your
company, follow the example of the greats and instead of thinking about
it, try just a small part. Get feedback and try again. Don't be afraid
to fail your way to mastery.
When you plan this way, the results are predictable, because you're using real world feedback as guidance for what's next.
And don't wait for the mood to strike or the time to be right.
"Curiosity has an expiration date."-Dr. Ryan Babineaux and Dr. John KrumboltzIf
you procrastinate, your reasons for stopping, buried in the
inaccessible limbic portion of your brain, will rear up and stop you
from not only realizing your dreams, but becoming the from kind of
person who is excited about life.
If you know who you are, and
you are following your heart, your failures can teach how to succeed.
When you organize your life around your identity, and follow the inner
guidance that results from thoughtful introspection about yourself and
your life, you can trust that your actions will result in eventual
success.
It's a good idea to make an exploration of what doesn't work as important as the happy discovery of success.
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." ― Albert EinsteinMake a New Years Resolution to become YOU.
If
you know who you are, you can explore the ways to get where you want to
go with the kind of self-confidence that is born from thoughtful,
continuous introspection, practice and feedback.
I know who I am.
I am clear about what I want. I will not give up until I get there.
Learning means I don't know, so I must fail until I succeed.
Learn
something new this year. Measure your progress by your failures as
well as your successes. That will allow for the glorious year meant for
all of us. This is the kind of courage that can change the world.
"To live a creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong."
― Joseph Chilton Pearce
