In the introduction to his international bestseller, The Alchemist, (a YP recommendation as a summer MUST READ for kids 13-130) Paulo Coelho writes, “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” YP couldn’t agree more.
We spend so much time trying to avoid failure, but it’s worth wondering: why? Slow down the tape on those moments in your life when things didn’t go the way you wanted when you fell short or just felt wrong. It isn’t the act of failing we fear, it’s those pesky emotions—embarrassment, shame, grief—surrounding our failure that we’re avoiding. If we can reframe failure as not only necessary but desirable, we’ll build the strength and skill to make it to that eighth time when the path is clear, the victory ours.
So. Expect to fail. Look forward to it. Do it with style using our guide below:
Three steps to failing the YP Way i.e. Spectacularly
- LAUGH (or at least LET IT GO): Expecting failure to strike now and then can also prepare you to laugh at it or shrug it off. Sure, it’s important to visualize your success, but it can also help to have a plan for failure. What can you laugh about? What would you say to a friend in the same position? How will you take care of yourself if things don’t work out?
- LEAN into the mistake and LEAN on your Learning Coach: Your Learning Coach is here to help you fail spectacularly until you succeed spectacularly. We’ve seen it all and it’s our job to help you change your life for the better. Together we’ll look your mistakes in the eye, agree that you are oh-so-NOT-defined by them, figure out what makes them tick, and come up with a plan for defeating them.
These first two steps set you up to—
3. LEARN: You’ll engage your metacognition—thinking about what you’re thinking about—to file this mistake as a valuable data point for the next time you come across this type of question or problem.
We’re here to check your jump-list, cheer you on, and lend a hand in the stand-back-up.
You have a goal. We have a plan. Let’s make it happen.
-Cara
