"I'd Like to Encourage You to Fail..."
Graduation season is upon us. Commencements will be held at every educational institution across the nation and countless inspirational speeches will be heard by graduates and guests, alike.
Last weekend, my son graduated from the University of Buffalo. He pursued two degrees, a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics. Now comes the real challenging part - securing a job!
The Dean of the School of Management addressed us first and he began his message with the controversial words above. He continued, "before you ask for a refund on your tuition, let me explain." The gist of his speech is paraphrased below.
We are a risk-averse nation; we play it safe and we don't always appreciate the learning opportunities inherent in failure. He went on to list famous people who succeeded after many failed attempts at invention.
His words of wisdom resonated with me. I can only hope the Class of 2014 was similarly inspired.
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison
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