Each moment I step into the class I
leave with a basket load of information to process. I teach my girls and they
leave their impression on me as well.
Over time, I have come to respect
their feelings and emotions. One of it is their fear of failure. It has always
piqued my curiosity. It is the reason why this workshop has come to be. The
agony etched on their faces, the cries when the result go the other way is heart
wrenching; gut squeezing sobs that will make a man’s heart dissolve into mush.
Unfortunately they are not here but
you are. You are their fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, family friends, cousins
and what have you. You will literally rub off your experiences on a child one
day. So if you digest this message, a child is saved.
On behalf of Mmeso and me, you are
cordially welcome to this august workshop.
PART 1.
It is necessity that begets
invention. It is problems and challenges that sharpens up our thinking faculty.
We don’t set out on a business
venture with a sure plan on how to fail rather failure meets us even when our plans
are as securely tight as Fort Knox.
Failure of some sort is part of our
nature. It has dogged our history and has visited each positive step we have
ever taken.
And why has it come to stay with us?
The answer is not rocket science. We
are finite beings – we are not perfect. So we must beget imperfect products as
well.
Not being perfect means that our
knowledge grows in direct proportion to our experience. The more experience we
accumulate, the more we know and vice versa. The less we experience events
around us, the less exposed we are to growth of knowledge, progress etc.
Our experience does not only come
from the successful completion of activities, projects etc. but most often the
mistakes, failures, errors made in the process as well.
Together, they sharpen our perception,
double up our knowledge bank. So when we prevent ourselves from making
mistakes, when we guard ourselves against the bitter barbs of error, failure,
we shield our minds from development, seeking better opportunities, increasing
our knowledge and summarily living a qualitative life.
No one plans to fail. However
failure has a penchant for throwing cogs into our smoothly laid out plans. Examples
of how failure has contributed to our development is uncountable. The Titanic
was dubbed unsinkable but it never returned from its maiden voyage.
Every moment we travel by air and luxuriate
in the comfort of modern aircraft engineering. We should never forget to say a
prayer for those who gave their life developing this technology – the errors
they made, the lives it claimed and the lessons learnt.
Failure never stopped them rather
they learnt from it. It was never a stumbling block but a stepping stone. A
path they had to encounter before success came calling.
So what do you think about failure?
Can you remember any worthwhile
venture you have ever embarked on that had no setback?
Think about them, write them down, and
be as detailed as possible.
Treasure it.
Will you be glad to share it with
me?
Those stories are worth sharing with
your children too.
We will meet on day 2.
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