TEACH THE YOUNG TO COPE WITH FAILURE
+ ALWAYS CHOOSE TO BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
The Right Perspective Series l Story 4
We have a friend in Israel who retired from his lifetime career and discovered, like so many others, that retiring means to “get new tires (tyres) and run again”.
After retiring, he decided to set up robotics clubs in schools.
Robotics clubs, of course, are not a new idea. But this friend’s venture is different in two very important ways.
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Social Responsibility Comes First
First, even before the students start building robots, he teaches them social responsibility. In other words, as they build the robots, they have to be able to answer the question: “How is what you are doing socially responsible and good for society?” The minimum standard set is that what they are doing is not socially irresponsible or bad for society.
It is interesting and impressive that the first thing students learn in this friend’s robotics club is that they need to be socially responsible.
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Teach the Young How to Cope with Failure
Second, he teaches them how to cope with failure. So many students in robotics clubs clamour to take part in international competitions, but how many winners can there be? Not winning in a competition happens far more often than winning.
We hear a lot about how innovation and enterprise always require a measure of risk-taking and a positive perspective on failing. But how many schools are making a conscious effort to teach their students how to cope with failure?
No one starts something new with the idea of failing, but everyone needs to be conscious of the possibility of failing.
Perspective #4:
In life, we will fail to achieve our desired outcomes from time to time, or maybe, most of the time. Everyone needs to have a deliberate perspective on how to cope with failure, so that one can have the strength to move forward and the determination to do the right thing by always choosing to be socially responsible.
As Winston Churchill once said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
And it is the courage to always choose to do the right and socially responsible thing that will enable you to positively impact the lives around you.
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By: Lim Siong Guan & Joanne Lim (Co-Authors of “Winning with Honour” and “The Leader, The Teacher & You“)
For more information, please visit: www.TheRightPerspective.com.sg