Failure is like Broccoli

Failure is like broccoli. It is not the best tasting food in the world but we all know it is good for you. It is forced into our diet yet we hope that we never ever have to experience it. In my culture, failure is taboo. We are taught to succeed and life is generally about avoiding failure, much like how a child would avoid broccoli. Failure however is essential to success. How can you expect to succeed if you have never tasted failure? Similarly, how can you expect to get all the nutrients your body needs if you are never going to touch Broccoli at all?

I know this may seem like a stretch. It has been a long day for me dealing with failures and all I can think about is Broccoli. However, there is some level of truth in this and so, let me elaborate a little bit more.

I don't want to eat it!

Image source

I have a daughter who has the most adorable pair of eyes. The one that when she stares at you, she makes your heart melt. I am not bias, her teacher said that same as she found it hard to discipline her. Ok, I may just be a little bias. Now, back to my point, whenever she finds broccoli in her meal, she will look up at me and ask what is it. She knows what it is, but she just wants me to say it and she will tell me about how disgusting broccoli is.

Children I am sure, detest broccoli. However, try not feeding them broccoli or greens for all that matter and they are vulnerable to all kinds of sicknesses. Looking at failure on the other hand, if you take failure away from learning, when the child experiences it for the first time, they will not know how to respond. Teachers and parents play an important role in facilitating and teaching them how to deal with it. If the child learns how to deal with failure positively and look for learning opportunities, this will become an invaluable skill in his/her life.

Of course, some may try to sugar-coat failure. Have you ever tried cheese-coated-deep-fried broccoli? It is absolutely awesome. Well, only for the first bite, then it gets disgusting. Worse, you may not necessarily get any form of nutrients from it. Sugar-coating failure is similar to that, yes, the child may likely get to experience failure in a more 'cushioned' manner. However, they may be deprived of important lessons that can be found in actually experiencing failure.

Experience it

Image source

So what is the best way to experience failure? Much like eating Broccoli, as raw and as little-cooked as possible. I remember my student who had been a straight A student all his life. One day he got a C for one of the subjects and he broke down, mentally. I do not mean metaphorically, the break down came with tears, howling and punching of tables. For the lack of a better word, he went berserk in class.

I took him aside and spoke to him about it and had to slowly guide him how to deal with that failure, teaching him that the C does not mean that he is anything less of a good student. However, it does mean that there are lessons to be learnt. Perhaps, a new strategy is needed and the old ways of studying is just not as effective. Through guidance and facilitation, he was able to come back from that failure. It made him a better student and a better person as whole.

However, it had to start with him first experiencing failure.

Change of perspective

Image source

I find that accepting Broccoli is like accepting that not everything must taste like fries or a cheeseburger. I find that once someone can accept Broccoli to his/her plate, you will see a paradigm shift, a change of perspective in what food is meant to be like. I find children who accept Broccoli to be more accepting and open towards experiencing other food.

The same goes with failure. Once someone is able to accept that failure is a fact of life and accept that it is a stepping stone towards becoming better, one's perspective of learning changes as well. Personally, I am someone who has failed often, success has never come easy to me. As such, I find that I am able to accept things more readily and evaluate them better. Similar to our ever changing world these days, how do you change your perspective when you realize that money can be in the form of numbers and not just bank notes?

I think that starts from failure. It is the people who have found success in bank notes that find it the hardest to change. However, to the entrepreneurs and learners who have failed before, these are the people who are willing to try out cryptocurrency due to its perceived potential, instead of being stuck in the old ways of how we perceive money.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post. May you learn form your failures, learning from them to become better at what you do. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Happy Steeming!

---