A Note About Failure

I was involved in a team building activity today. A team building activity involving marshmallows. We were put in teams and given a bag of materials, which included twenty dried spaghetti noodles, a long piece of tape, a piece of string, and a jumbo marshmallow. Eighteen minutes were put on the clock and we were given the task to build the tallest, free-standing structure we could that would hold the marshmallow on top.

I was on the team with the winning structure and we even finished up with a minute to spare. But it wasn’t the winning that left me still thinking about the activity. It was the reflection that came afterward about our team’s failures. See, as it turns out, it was a few failed attempts in the beginning that ultimately led to our success. It was the result of trying to put the marshmallow on top of the structure during various points of the activity only to discover that our structure was nearly toppling over. We had to make adjustments and strengthen areas that were buckling under the weight of the marshmallow we always assume to be so light.

So what, you’re probably thinking, does this have to do with anything? Why all the talk of marshmallows? It’s because this team building exercise, which was supposed to be connected to my career and work in education, had me thinking about this blog.  I just couldn’t help but think about how much this challenge was a metaphor for the new things I’m taking on in life and truth be told, the challenges I’ve taken on up to this point. No, for me, this exercise hit home in a more personal way.

It’s a new year – a time when many of us make resolutions, goals, and commitments for a fresh start. I recently made a commitment to push myself into a new endeavor related to the blog (it’s too soon to share right now, but stay tuned). But if you’re really pushing your comfort zone with a resolution and you’re anything like me, there may also be a part of you wondering what the hell you’re thinking. You too may be confronted with doubtful inner dialogue like me. You really think you can do that? What do you even know about it? But that’s just the thing. I’m beginning to discover that I don’t have to have it all figured out. I’m learning that my so-called failures might contribute to my ultimate success and I’ll likely learn more in the process. So, I’m thinking it might be time for an adjustment in perspective and remember that any step toward a goal is progress made.

In life, I want to be like the kindergartners that outperform adult business students in this challenge. Kids don’t waste time sweating over a plan. They don’t worry about the consequences their decisions might have. They grab the marshmallow and give it a go. Of course this kind of impulsivity should have its limits, but for a perfectionist, rule following girl like me, a little more risk taking might do me good. I was the only one in the room today that decided to stick the pieces of spaghetti right into the marshmallow and in the end, that kind of creative thinking (OK, I know it’s just a marshmallow, but indulge me) payed off. Yes, this year, I’m going to be a little more like those kindergartners. I’m going to jump in feet first and grab that marshmallow. And trust that I might just succeed even if at first, I fail.

*Want to know more about this marshmallow challenge? Check out the video below.