EMBRACE FAILURE
In today's society, failure is unacceptable. We avoid it at all cost, and we
do everything possible to protect our children from its dire
consequences. As a result, we deprive them of experiencing the benefits
inherent in a willingness to fail.
When we are afraid to fail, we close ourselves off from possibilities. We avoid taking risks. We would rather do nothing than take the chance of being wrong. We can see this in the athlete who hesitates to go for the basket because he/she might miss, in the student who sits silently in class afraid to give the incorrect answer, or in the individual who gives up on his/her dream because it might not be successful.
When we are afraid to fail, we close ourselves off from possibilities. We avoid taking risks. We would rather do nothing than take the chance of being wrong. We can see this in the athlete who hesitates to go for the basket because he/she might miss, in the student who sits silently in class afraid to give the incorrect answer, or in the individual who gives up on his/her dream because it might not be successful.
The
world is filled with successful people who got it wrong the first time
they tried. Steven King had his first novel rejected 30 times. Henry
Ford went broke five times because his early businesses failed before he
started Ford Motor Company. The Beatles were told "no" by a
record company. Harrison Ford was once told he would never be
successful in the movie business. One of the greatest gifts we
can give our children is permission to see failure as merely an
opportunity to adjust course and try something new.
Copyright © 2016 by Holly A. Cox, L.C.P.C., C.D.C.®,
Rosemond Certified Leadership Parenting Coach
