License to fail

Are you convinced that failing is something negative? You won’t anymore after these tips! 

On a sunny October evening, the members of ADM gathered to talk about failure. Although the topic was suggested to us by some of the youngsters, the crowd was a good mix of experienced people and some young (new) faces.

After a quick bite to eat, Wendy Vermoesen started off by telling that failing isn’t always something bad. When you put on your rose-coloured glasses, you can see things from a more positive perspective.

Cathy Camertijn joined Wendy in this idea and she talked about how delicate and personal failure is and how people need the space to fail. That’s one of the reasons why she introduced the ‘Fuck Up Nights’ in Antwerp. During these sessions, people can come and talk about their experiences, knowing that the audience won’t judge them.  According to Cathy, there are six causes for failure and she bundled them in the word ‘Geloov’.

We also learned that often, it is the feeling of failure that has a bigger impact on us than the failure itself. That’s why it is important to build your inner strength. Cathy gave us 5 tips to do so:
1. Take your time to grief
2. What is the lesson learned?
3. What's another way to look at it?
4. Forgive and be kind to your old 'me'
5. Go for it again

Then, it was time for some action! The attendees talked about how they feel about failure. This discussion lead to a mix of opinions, some positive and some negative. To read the different points of view, click here.

When talking about denial and acceptance, the ADM members came up with a wide range of tips, a.o.

• Experience and getting older helps to put things in perspective.
• Talk about your failures with others.
• Go to your happy place.
• Take a step back.

For more tips, click here. 

After a quick change of tables, the topic of prevention was next. A lot of good ideas to prevent failure came up.

• It’s important to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses and to be able to outsource those weaknesses.
• Communication is key! Make clear rules, define your goals, actively listen to others, dare to tell someone when they’re wrong.
• Consciously handle your mistakes. It’s ok to make mistakes and fail, this way you will learn for the next time.

For more tips, click here.

Discussions continued during the networking part of the evening and members took home their personal tips and tricks in a golden envelope.