The family and I just got back from a quick trip to Quebec. For those that don’t know (or need a quick reminder) Quebec is still fiercely “French.” I tried my best to brush up on my high school French lessons (though, it’s been a few minutes since I graduated!) and took the plunge.
We have found through our travels that when we attempt the local language, we’re met halfway; or as far as the other person can get to. Those in other countries often aren’t fluent in English, but between our minimal capabilities plus their semi-fluent English skills, we get by.
My son is eleven. And we encourage him to try and learn a few phrases in the local language as well. The first day or two, he’s usually nervous and intimidated. He makes mistakes. But then he realizes: mom and dad are trying and making mistakes too!
The thing that keeps most of us from trying new things is the fear of failure! Our egos get in the way. If we can’t be the best right out of the gate, why bother trying. How ridiculous! Think about how a child learns to walk. How many times does she fall and get up? Over and over again, she gets up…she falls. Failure is a building block of learning.
As we sat around a café in Quebec, we heard many fellow Americans simply order food in English, no attempt in French. As we walked around, they asked for directions in English and as we shopped, they bought souvenirs…in English!
During dinner one night, I told my son to watch and listen closely. The waiters were kind (the rumor is true: Canadians are incredibly kind and gracious!) to the other Americans who only ordered in English. Then, he came to us and we tried our French. The man’s eyes lit up a bit, he smiled wide…he helped us with a few words and you could tell he was genuinely happy that we were making an effort.
Here is the lesson I wanted my son to learn: if you attempt something new…even if you fail? You’re ahead of the other 95% of people who refuse to even try! Sure, if you don't try then you don't fail…not technically. But not trying means you risked nothing and gained nothing. With trying something new, yes, you risk failure. You risk a ding to your ego. But you gain so much more! Confidence. The ability to face your fear and push ahead.
As we get older, we attempt fewer and fewer new things. We get comfortable in being “experts” in our various activities that we participate in and we purposely avoid new situations where failure IS an option! But we miss out on so much.
I promise you this: failure isn’t fatal. And when you do fail, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as the regret you will have someday if you decide to stay on the sidelines and never attempt something new.
Get out there, try, fail and learn. Bon Chance (good luck)!
Comentários