Good Failures

Dear all, This week I would love to discuss with you about "good failures". Well, most of the time failures do not seem "good"at all, but most of the other time when we look back, they are actually benefitial to us. Steve Jobs' stanford commencement speech in 2005 is always an inspiring clip for teenagers and adults alike. You may have read or watched the speech for several times. As I watched it again this year, I had the different feelings. So this time, I would love to discuss with you about some quesions inspired by this speech. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" 2. Steve Jobs dropped out of college thus freeing up time to “drop in” on what interested him. What did you or would you drop-in on if you had more time? What would you drop out of? 3. What are you curious about or fascinated by? 4. “Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” What do you trust in? 5. For Steve Job’s, getting fired from Apple was the “best thing” that could have ever happened as the “heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner.” Name a failure that turned out to be a positive for you. 6. "Failure is hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever." - Po Bronson. What are your opinions on this statement? 7. We all know that buying material things does not lead to happiness or satisfy our purpose for being, but does experiencing things, boxing ticking-style really achieve that much more? 8. Do we sometimes think too long and too hard about how our life should / could be going to really enjoy it? 9. How has your decision to go to college/not go to college helped or hindered you in bringing you closer to what you love doing? 10. Self-taught vs. educated: discuss whether education is necessary if one is interested in working in an unexplored field such as Job’s field at the time? 11. Did you have concrete [firm/solid/known/identifiable] goals before college? How has your education brought you closer to your goals? 12. “All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” Comment on Steve Job’s words. 13. Steve Job’s believes “The only way to do great work is to love what you do” – is that true? 14. "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." How do we “stay foolish?” 15. What are you hungry for? 16. How do you maintain hope and keep faith during times of failure when it seems the dots might not connect? 17. As we age, we tend to base decisions on previous experience. Does this make us more or less foolish? 18. Do the dots connect no matter what? Do we view ourselves and lives through lenses where no matter what our decisions are, they lead to life experiences and developments, and therefore shape us and are the “correct” dots/decisions? 19. What are failures on a national or global level that are the “best thing” that could happen to us?