It is a huge shame that the education system we have is interested only in perfectionism - there is no tiny bit of allowance for mistakes. And this is really killing us.

I remember vividly during my high school days, you dare not score less than the pass mark (in most cases average of the total scores) if you don't want to be punished. And punishment in the part of world where I'm from involves whipping you on the back or buttocks with cane till you scream out loud to the heavens. (We don't believe in detention or any of those things they do in Hollywood)

So we try as much as possible not to 'fail' we cheat, pray, cram just to make the pass mark. And even outside school, our parents don't make things easier- instead of asking what went wrong and look for ways to fix them, they condemn and compare you with those that actually made the pass mark (and you'd be very lucky if that's the only thing they did).

It doesn't stop at that, it goes on and on till you graduate from college and even start working in a firm or on your own start-up.

This "mentality" of perfectionism and not giving room for mistakes is eating up our creativity. We really need to re-orientate our inner minds that it is ok to make mistakes.

Perfectionism prevents us from moving out of our comfort zone and taking risks. It makes us feel as if we're falling short and therefore we never feel satisfied. And that's what is making the life of some miserable today.

As a young boy in his mid 20's I'm happy to admit I have made terrible mistakes and even ready to make better ones. I've created 3 start-ups that all crashed. That doesn't make a failure - mistakes doesn't make one a failure no matter how big they may seem. And didn't stop me from taking more risks- even bigger ones. In fact I'm currently working on two start-ups right now.

We should make perfectionism our goal. Put resilience in its stead- the ability to make mistakes, learn from them and become a better person.

The only way light can get through a wall is when there is a crack. Do not be scared of trying out new things. The only way you can make something happen is by being willing to take risks and taking risks means you are ready for mistakes.

It is very okay to make mistakes; learn from them when you make them and make better mistakes because that is the only way we can progress and move forward.

PS: Teachers should encourage mistakes (at least that is what school is meant for- to be better) in kids instead of punishing them. This will encourage/challenge them to try out new tasks and ask questions without feeling/appearing dumb.

Kindly check out more of my articles at http://sadiqdaniel..com

OK

You wan repeat same class for 8yrs?
Na naija we dey abegi.