ORISA LIFESTYLE ACADEMY
  • OrisaLifestyle
  • Ifa Divination
  • apothecary
  • Membership
  • Classes
  • Books
  • Testimonials
  • BLOG

Learning from Failure

10/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Failure is like defecation. Everybody does it but nobody likes to talk about it. On a much deeper level, failure and defecation offer valuable learning experiences. Both are the results of previous consumption and decision making. Both are hard to study but filed with insights. Both are highly personal, yet indicate more universal attitudes, behaviors and trends. Even though they are inevitable, there are both ideal and less than places to fail and defecate (e.g., the bathroom and the woods, respectively). Speaking of the woods, if you've spent any time in nature, you know that studying animal "scat" is an important exercise. Similarly, it is absolutely wise to study the failures of others who have gone before you. At the end of the day, pretending it didn't happen just won't work! This is why people in psychological circles will sometimes say, "Deal with your sh*t!"  

As a leader, you will rise and fall according to your ability to maintain a healthy relationship to your failures and your poop. You need to be sensitive to their size, smell and consistency because at some point, the people closest to you will definitely be effected. I mean, feedback is good. But you don't necessarily want people to have to "Call you on your sh*t," especially not an adversary or competitor. So, while it is tempting to try to cover it up by burning incense and keeping the door closed, the best thing to do is to take a little time and looking to bowl of truth. Examine what you've done, reflect on how it came to be and make the necessary adjustments. People do not expect you to be flawless just because you're the leader. In fact they are more likely to trust and respect your leadership if you can demonstrate your commitment by practicing personal leadership, which is characterized by self evaluation and self correction. 

In my own experiences, as a teacher, counselor and priest, I make it a point to share my personal struggles whenever they provide appropriate learning opportunities. If you've ever seen my Youtube channel, you have probably seen one or two videos that include anecdotes that illustrate my personal experience with the lesson at hand. I don't particularly like sharing my sh*t. But because I have made it part of my Personal Priesthood to study my mistakes, I am confident that the exercise will produce valuable guidance for others. This is consistent with the teachings of the Holy Odu Ifa, about half of which consists of stories about Orunmila himself. When I realized that Orunmila had experienced practically every problem imaginable, it gave me much more courage and willingness to face my failures and become a better leader. Live the medicine. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    FREE Orisa Shrines eBOOK

    Picture

    Archives

    November 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014



    Picture
    IFA DIVINATION

    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Membership

    Picture

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Mary Gillham Archive Project
  • OrisaLifestyle
  • Ifa Divination
  • apothecary
  • Membership
  • Classes
  • Books
  • Testimonials
  • BLOG