Redefining Failure
All too often in our schools the fear of failure paralyses performance. Worse than
that, far too many students see “failure” in a result as a reflection of themselves.
It usually sounds like this, “I’m not smart enough”.
When you believe you’re a failure from of a result or feedback you received or from a
setback, you seek to avoid that experience again.
As a result the opportunity to learn and grow from your experience becomes limited.
Rather than internalising “failure” use it to grow and learn.
How to use “Failure” to grow and learn:
1. Redefine Failure – Change the meaning you give to a setback or “failure”. Is
it really a failure or learning experience? If you learn and grow from the
experience it’s not a failure but more a learning experience.
2. Embrace mistakes and imperfections – Rather than avoid mistakes and
imperfections – embrace them because you grow and become better.
3. Learn from mistakes – If you receive feedback around your writing (to add
depth and sophistication) as an example, be sure to learn and practice what
that involves. Making the same mistake is not learning from it!
