Those of us in the entrepreneurial realm have likely heard a common story used to illustrate why failure is a good thing: the toddler learning to walk. Are you familiar with this one? “A toddler attempts to walk for the first time. She wobbles, she puts one foot forward, she falls down. And then she gets up and tries it all over again. Imagine if she said to herself, “I fell down. What an abject failure I am! I may as well relinquish this attempt to walk right now and resign myself to a life of immobility”?
Do you agree that people who’ve had charmed lives are less interesting than those who’ve experienced failures?
First, I challenge the notion that very many people actually lead a charmed life. I would say that many "appear" to lead a charmed life. Some are very good at hiding their failures in shame. Fortune favors the prepared, it is said, and how can one prepare without failure as a teacher? Yes, I think a person who has faced little adversity in life is probably a boring, vacuous brat. But Stalin faced a lot of adversity too, and as interesting as he was, I wouldn't want to work for him.
Do you agree that people who’ve had charmed lives are less interesting than those who’ve experienced failures?
First, I challenge the notion that very many people actually lead a charmed life. I would say that many "appear" to lead a charmed life. Some are very good at hiding their failures in shame. Fortune favors the prepared, it is said, and how can one prepare without failure as a teacher? Yes, I think a person who has faced little adversity in life is probably a boring, vacuous brat. But Stalin faced a lot of adversity too, and as interesting as he was, I wouldn't want to work for him.
I would rather get cheese treats for puzzles!