WHAT YOU CAN TEACH THEM

Your experiences can help your kids, grandkids or colleagues…

Understand that failure is essential

When they’re out there moving forward in the world, they will come across failure. They need to embrace it and deal with the discomfort of combing through what went wrong. As those of us old enough to have failed at a lot of things know, failure can be a wonderful opportunity for growth. By understanding where they went wrong, they’ll know how to get it right in future.

Learn that obstacles are a part of growth

Millennials have been taught that anything is possible if you want it enough, and that in order to get ahead in life, what you really need is healthy self-esteem. Obstacles are the scourge of this, a signal that sometimes everything isn’t possible. Yet you can learn more about yourself by moving through, over or around an obstacle than you ever did by sidestepping it. It might mean you reorientate the direction you take towards your goal, but it doesn’t mean you abandon it altogether.

Accept feedback

If you’ve been raised under a cloud of parental overpraise, being fed hard truths is a dent to all that shiny self-esteem. However, from the right person, feedback is transformative. Get them to identify a ‘discomfort coach’ – someone they feel feedback from would not be an indictment of who they are, but who isn’t a family member or friend. Regular feedback catch-ups with this person will be of huge benefit.

Embrace the road to success

This generation, more than any other, have been criticised for their desire to get ahead. But success is a never-ending quest littered with obstacles, failure and hard graft. And once you get to the top, it’s a fleeting moment. We need to encourage them to enjoy the grind. When things feel tough, tell them it’s a sign they’re pushing themselves into new, uncharted territory. When they feel out of their depth, remind them it’s evidence they’ve stepped into their discomfort zone.

The Discomfort Zone: How To Get What You Want By Living Fearlessly by Farrah Storr, out now (Piatkus)