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I am writing this from my hospital bed and I’m still a little stoned after surgery.

I’ve just been reading purple cow again by Seth godin. I love that man (that will be the drugs).

Just read a wee gem

“we’ve been raised with a false belief: we mistakingly believe that criticism leads to failure. From the time we get to school, we’re taught that being noticed is almost always bad. It gets us sent to the principals office, not to Harvard.”

Our school system is going a step further by not letting pupils sit exams unless they are sure they are going to pass them.

They don’t understand what this does to the psyche. They do not realise the implications on our behaviour.

But back to my main subject ; criticism.

There are some jobs, some tasks, where failure is not an option – My surgery today for instance.

But for pretty much everything else you should take enough chances to leave yourself open to criticism. You should always create the chance to fail.

Ok, now you are thinking its the drugs that’s talking, but let me explain.

When you live to avoid failure or criticism, you have to become what Billy Connelly calls “the beige people”. You have to become so bland that you are barely noticed.

You can’t be remarkable when you are beige.

Better to pick something, be something, stand for something. Better to upset a few people and be criticised by some, than to try and please everyone.

Better to fail at a bunch of things in an attempt to achieve something, than to attempt never to fail. Nothing significant or worthwhile was ever achieved without being preceded by failure.

The truth is if your aren’t failing, you aren’t progressing.

If you aren’t be criticised by some, you aren’t making a difference.

Avoid beige. Avoid safe. Embrace failure. Encourage criticism.

I hate to be criticised. It’s one my personality traits but I am learning to encourage it. Don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of taking on board the criticism. Instead I will use it as a measure of progress. If some bugger isn’t criticising me for something? Them I’m not pushing the boundaries hard enough. I’m not innovating. I’m going beige.