I remember when I first heard Will Smith say “Fail Forward.” It made me take a different perspective on the actual word failure and what it means to me. Growing up we first hear the word failure constantly in the schooling system. In my experience, as a young kid I remember thinking failure was this terrible thing and if I was failing tests I would never amount to anything in life. And that’s exactly what the school system does to young kids, and it becomes engrained in them that failing at a young age could lead to a questionable future. I don’t think I’ve said this in any of my posts, but I don’t support the education system in America, and I believe there are many faults within it that should be altered.
I get it, I agree with the fact that kids should be taught reading and math because that is extremely important and something you will use until the day you die. But, kids should be learning more about where their interests lie, and not just taking a class to take it. I remember being in grade school and high school and almost feeling forced that I had to “read” certain books and material. But, in reality I had zero interest in any of the books my school made me read. I failed a lot in school, and it definitely affected my self esteem and how others perceived me. Success in school will not predict success in life. But, remember everyone has a different definition to what success means to them. And, people see failure in many different lights.
To some people failure can meaning just giving up. To some it could mean you didn’t put enough work in and you came up short. To some it could mean you’re not good enough. To me, failure mean that you tried something and it didn’t work and now you need to get better. I think in any life circumstance, failure is just another opportunity to learn and to grow from that experience, whatever it may be. Will Smith says, “You Fail Forward.” No matter what, if you keep failing, just keep moving forward and you will get closer to your goals and vision. I’ve experienced much failure in my life, but I always look at it as a growing experience, and apply that to the next situation.
I mentioned failing and how we are introduced to it at a young age in the schooling system. But, I encourage you to ask yourself what does Failure mean to you in context, and how do you keep moving forward after a failure in your life occurs?