Looking for the mistakes

Some people say, “Train for perfection.” Do something till it’s perfect….on the surface this idea looks promising. If you go to some of the best schools (regardless of the discipline, sport or academia) around the world, schools that are known as talent factories, this is not the case.

The one commonality they have is that they all look for the mistakes their students make more often than the perfection.

Let me repeat myself…..

The one commonality they have is that they all look for the mistakes their students make more often than the perfection.

Think about it for a minute. This idea might not be so revolutionary to some; others might find some room for debate.  What is without question is the results!

Students that train in these types of environments/schools grow to learn how to adapt, develop, reflect and deal with much more information than ones that look and train for perfection foremost.

The key is this type of training is what is done after a mistake is discovered.

You need to be happy….actually ecstatic would be a better word.  Finding your mistakes and figuring out how to correct them is the best way to learn. And truly talented students find many mistakes because they operate on the edge of their ability.

I have seen students find mistakes while training at my school but they are more disappointed than happy. They address the problem but hurry past it to something they are good at.

Let me give you a different perspective.

I call it my NASCAR Theory (a form of American auto racing).

You see NASCAR mechanics build a car to go as fast possible around a track on any given Sunday. After the race they take the car apart completely. I’m going to guess but there is probably over a thousand parts. X-ray each and every part one by one to check for any breaks/cracks in the metal components. Essentially they are looking for mistakes or problems in the hardware. On Monday the whole racing team reviews the race from all angles visually, technically and by computer stats looking for the mistakes. The car is then reassembled Tuesday/Wednesday put together piece by piece. The whole thing is video taped to record any possible mistakes or errors in assembly. Thursday and Friday the car is taken onto the track and raced around testing all the gauges and parts for optimum performance. Saturday the car does a time trials to determine it’s position in the Sunday race, once again looking for mistakes or problems. Finally the car is raced on Sunday. After the race on the results are collected and the whole process starts all over again!

What is expected of the mechanics is to look for mistakes, problems foremost. Once a problem is found this is taken to the automotive engineers. Together with the mechanics they find a working solution for the problem.

What is expected of the drivers is to drive the car as fast and safe as possible (not crashing) but coming as close as possible, in other words pushing it to the limits.

An ideal race for a NASCAR driver is if he runs the engine red hot at full RMP pushing the cars ability and that it completely breaks down as he crosses the finish line. Why? Because it’s going to be taken apart anyway.

Remember – find mistakes in your abilities but the secret is in being happy about it!

Hope this helps,

Emmanuel