Success is exhausting!
Why?
Because success isn’t enough – we want perfection.
We want the unbeaten, perfect season.
We want it all and want to break every record along the way.
There’s is only room for one at the tippy-top of any endeavor, which is a real math problem in a world with 7.5 billion people.
If the pursuit of perfection weren’t tiring enough, we go to great lengths to avoid opening up about our failures.
We hide our insecurities.
We protect our secrets.
Up and coming transformationalist, Kyle Cease, suggests we acknowledge our shortcomings, “embrace our insecurity and stop trying to please others.” (Don’t know Kyle? Watch this video!)
The impossibly exhausting pursuit of perfection makes acceptance of failure seem like a breath of fresh air!
The founders of the demotivation website Despair.com have turned our growing interest in failure into a commercial venture stating,
“ Motivation products don’t work butour demotivatior® products don’t work even better… When we started Despair, we had a dream. To crush other people’s dreams!”
The TedTalks.com library is fast developing a robust selection of failure talks, includinghiring people with imperfect resumes, admissions of organizational failure, thebeauty of being a misfit among many.
Acceptance of failure can benefit us personally, interpersonally, as parents and as business leaders:
- Personally. Perfection requires rigid adherence to protocol and process, a little failure reduces formality, relieves the pressure and loosens everybody up,
- Interpersonally. Admissions of imperfection allow us to act more genuinely, making us accessible and allowing others to connect with us more quickly and more deeply,
- For Kids. Failure is crucial to healthy development. If they don’t fall, how will they ever learn to get back up again? (so no ribbon for coming in last again for 15-year old Jimmy Bobby) and
- In Business. Celebrating failure is a powerful culture change tool, giving employees permission to try new things without risking the penalties failure typically brings.
Thanks to all of you that have shared your insights and perspectives. This topic has created several interesting conversations and I welcome hearing your thoughts by writing me directly at jeff@jeffkaplan.com.
Until next week, stay connected!
-Jeff
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