The Necessity of Failure for Success
Several members of the WMed community are aware that my favorite physical activity is indoor climbing. Climb Kalamazoo is a wonderful facility and is right downtown, so I often head there straight from my office at the end of the day. In addition to a decent workout, it allows me time to reflect and sometimes there are thoughts that could be worth sharing. The first 鈥渙n the wall鈥 topic is the necessity of failure for success.
The physical characteristics of the best men鈥檚 climbers are age in the mid-20s, height between 5鈥 10鈥 and 6鈥 2鈥 tall, and a BMI in the 20-22 range. Let鈥檚 just say I don鈥檛 meet any of those criteria and as such, I know I will only ever be solidly average at best. For me, the completion of a hard intermediate route is a worthwhile target. Distilling the attractiveness of this activity boils down to the following four ideas:
- You are your own yardstick. Worrying about what others think about you or comparing yourself to others is a useless exercise.
- There is some physical danger involved; falls are common. Weighing that possibility against attaining a goal is a constant calculation.听
- Climbing a wall sometimes takes problem solving, and sometimes that means trying something others have not.
- I always fail. Always. Pushing harder teaches limits, but progress is only measured by taking your limits to a new level. There is no greater joy than to fail and then to conquer.
Lesson for the day:
Success = setting your own goals + taking risks + creativity + embracing failure.
Clearly this lesson translates to our work in academic medicine. Whether you are a student, resident, fellow, faculty, or staff member, it is important to remember that you need to set goals, you need to take measured risks, you need to try new things, and you will sometimes fail. All of this will take you, and WMed, to a higher level. Enjoy the climb!
Cheers,
Rob
Robert G. Sawyer, 六合彩开奖直播
The Hal B. Jenson, 六合彩开奖直播 Dean
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