Guest post by Lindsay Adamski:
“The best way for a young person to build character is for him to attempt something where there is a real and serious possibility of failure.” (Paul Tough, p. 85).
All of the reading that I have done these past few weeks has made me think of my own approach to risk and failure. In my personal and professional life I have a strong tendency to play it safe. I am guilty of letting my fear of falling on my face hold me back from trying something new.
A great friend of mine visited last weekend and this topic came up during one of our marathon conversations. She teaches third grade and her vision for her classroom is “We grow when we tackle challenges.” These third graders are extremely lucky to start learning this at a young age (and to have such an amazing teacher). But I think this motto is powerful at all ages. It’s scary to take a risk, but it is the only way to stretch ourselves to achieve new and original success. Reflecting on this theme has led me to some very interesting books (like this one) and a greater awareness of my own hesitancy to step outside the box. Posting on this blog is one (minor) risk and has opened me up to what I hope will be many more as I grow in my career.
Thank you, Ysette, for the chance to share on your blog and welcome back!
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Distinguishing excitement from anxiety | Minds On Fire · September 18, 2013 at 6:43 pm
[…] Back at home from a full day of being out and about talking to people about exciting projects in the works, and my silly caveman brain is unsettling me. A certain wise man warned me at the very beginning (and repeatedly ever since) that dealing with uncertainty would be the toughest aspect of my career change. I think I’ve actually made giant strides in this regard because it isn’t my future that worries my now: it’s the discomfort of heading out into unfamiliar territory in the current phase of my program development. This is a brief reminder to myself that it’s a good thing that things seem to be moving too fast all of a sudden. I should also remember the lesson from Lindsay’s latest post. […]