Thursday, January 23, 2014

Positive Thoughts about Failure

In music, in sports, and in all of life, sooner or later we will experience failure in some form or another.  We just went through one of the best experiences of New Year New Tunes, however, I know some students felt they performed at less than their best.  Yet, that too is a strategic part of personal growth.

As you interact with your child about their perspective on being disappointed in the outcome of a performance, I hope you will use the opportunity to talk about the importance of finding the courage to try again.  Here are some thoughts to keep in your conversation tool kit.

~What you have to tell yourself is, “I’m not a failure.  I failed at doing something.”

~Mozart was told that his opera The Marriage of Figaro ‘had too many notes.’

~Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime.

~Thomas Edison was considered un-teachable as a youngster.

~Albert Einstein was once told by a schoolmaster that he would never amount to much.

We simply want to instill a correct mindset about success and failure into the hearts and minds of all our students.  We want them to have the courage to try again.
  
Carolyn Biggs
Steps and Skips
Tips for the Developing Student