Daily Inspiration 1-15-11

"Kids will take a chance. If they don't know, they'll

have a go. They're not frightened of being wrong. . .

by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost

that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong."

-- Sir Ken Robinson

"You can never learn less; you can only learn

more. The reason I know so much is because

I have made so many mistakes."

-- R. Buckminster Fuller

"Would you like me to give you a formula for. . . success?

It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.

You're thinking of failure as the enemy of success.

But it isn't at all. . . you can be discouraged by failure,

or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes.

Make all you can. Because, remember, that's where

you'll find success--on the far side."

-- Thomas J Watson, Sr

I can so relate to Sir Ken Robinson's quote about kids and their willingness to make mistakes, or risk being called wrong. I have painful memories about being wrong so many times, and yet somehow maintained enough of my individuality and strength to continue to risk being wrong to this very day. Certainly, I could have risked much more, but I am proud of my not giving in to strict conformity.

I see many that are unwilling to risk being wrong, who live in fear of failure, of embarrassment, of making mistakes. I think it is sad and encourage everyone to try to let go of those constraints.

In my studies, I've been blessed by reading about so many great people that became great by mistaking their way to where they ended up. As we look back on history at some of the most remembered people, we pay most attention, if not all, to what they accomplished, but in study we find that the volume of mistakes tells a different story.

I am a fan of quotes, just in case no one noticed, and I can easily put my hands on hundreds of quotes, if not thousands that speaks to this subject, and most of them talk so clearly where mistakes were not only part of the plan, but in so many cases, their success was fully dependent on them.

So many bosses do not tolerate mistakes, and the larger the mistake, the less they tolerate it, but Thomas Watson, Sr who began IBM said this: "recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000 [consider that was a very long time ago. . . that was a serious sum then]. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?" That quote makes anything I lost of a company I was employed by miniscule in comparison. Yet, I've made some blunders. . . and learned well from them, too.

Consider risk as a positive thing and not a negative thing. That word is usually used in a fearful, cautionary way as if it is something to avoid, or to avoid as much as possible of. By accepting the idea of risk being a very positive thing, can change a life dramatically--or a company.

Risk IS Reward. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Go ahead! Risk something today. Risk telling someone you like them, you love them, you enjoy their company. Risk smiling a lot. Risk laughing. Risk doing what's in your heart. What's the best thing that can happen? Joy!