Sometimes focusing on perfection is beside the point.
In his book, Little Failure, Gary Shteyngart explains that eventual success is often the result of
failures.
Those who raise organic vegetables for a living, or bake cheesecake or paint burlap table
runners, are pursuing a “New American Dream.” If you read between the lines, you may see
signs of failure.
As more of us quit our day jobs and become free agents, ultimate success belongs not to the
most talented or the hardest working, but to those who recover best from bad luck and their
own mistakes. In some fields, failing is a necessity. Body builders lift to failure, pumping iron
until they can’t do one more rep. Judo beginners learn the art of falling. Engineers push devices
until they break, to measure the margin of safety. Many successful people proudly describe
their flops and recoveries. Failing is a skill that everyone should learn at an early age.
Take writing for example. Instead of instructing students to create a great first draft, we should
show them how to rewrite a lousy one.
So, fellow strivers, go out there, do your best, and fail! While the meek shall inherit the earth,
the resilient will earn it the hard way.
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