If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly first. These are the words of Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm. Joel’s opinion is that we’ve all grown up with the expression “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Personally, I grew up hearing it as “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” Yet, as Joel says, nobody does it right the first time. Joel explained that it’s this kind of thinking that prevents us from innovating(创新) in our own lives. We’re frightened to death to try new things, because we think we have to get it right the first time.

This is an innovative farmer’s wisdom. It resonates(和……类似) well with what I’ve learned from master teachers as well as with research on perfectionism. Let me speak briefly of both of these.

I have been fortunate to have a number of mentors(导师) in my development as a teacher. One of my favorites is a retired biology teacher from the University of British Columbia, Lee Gass. Lee explained to me that it’s not until we know that we don’t know, it’s not until we admit our ignorance, even celebrate our ignorance, that we can learn anything at all!

When we learn to see that it is through admitting our ignorance and trying even though it won’t be perfect or even “right” the first time that we can learn anything, we really start living.

Some of the research stresses the harm of not taking this attitude in our pursuit(追求). Perfectionism is often said to be the enemy of the good. It’s also the enemy of even trying.

I for one take this farmer’s advice to heart. I do try my best to do things as well as I possibly can, but I recognize that it’s the creative process where we learn, if we stay at it long enough. If a job is worth doing, it’ s worth doing poorly first.

Walking through a local park recently, I saw a teenage boy wearing a T-shirt that read: “Effort wins over talent. ” It reminded me of an idea I think about often, that if you believe you can learn new things and develop new skills, by working hard, you are more likely to achieve those goals. This critical insight was brought up by Dr. Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, as a “growth mindset”.

According to Dr. Dweck’s research, “talent is not fixed.” Studies by Dweck and others have shown students who have a fixed mindset see new learning experiences as a moment to be judged, not an opportunity to learn. This can make learning a painful struggle, leading many to give up. Students who have a growth mindset, on the other hand, experience challenges as the way to learn and improve. They see hard work as being about learning. Overall, they learn and achieve at higher levels, even when they start out at the same place as those with fixed mindsets.

While Dweck identified growth mindset more than a decade ago, her insights were not made up. They have since been backed up by brain science, made possible by new technology that allows researchers to see images of the brain at work. Studies show that, when a person responds to new and difficult material by engaging in a struggle to learn, the neurons in their brain grow.

Believing that you can grow your abilities through effort—that talent is not fixed—is crucial(要的). As Dweck puts it in her TED talk, we need to focus on showing young people the "Power of Yet” meaning, I haven't learned this yet, or I'm not good at this yet.

Growth mindset is an important idea for educators and schools, but it's also a powerful tool that everyone can use to help themselves to learn and achieve at high levels.

From composer, musician, and philanthropist(慈善家)Peter Buffett comes, a warm, wise, and inspirational, book that asks, “Which win you choose: the path of least resistance or the path of potentially greatest sailsfaction?”

You may think that with a last name like his, Buffett has enjoyed a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that the only real inheritance handed down from his parents is a philosophy: Build your own path in life.It is a principle that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap his own successes.

In Life Is What You Make It.Buffett expounds on(阐释)the strong set of values given to him by his trusting and broadminded mother, his hardworking and talented father, and the many life teachers he has met along the way.

Today’s society, Buffett assumes, has begun to replace a work ethic, enjoying what you do, with a wealth ethic, honoring the payoff instead of the process.We confuse privilege with material wealth, character with external validation(认可). Yet, by focusing more on substance and less on reward, we can open doors of opportunity and strive toward a greater sense of fulfillment.In clear and brief terms, Buffett reveals a great truth: Life is random, neither   fair nor unfair.

From there it becomes easy to recognize the equal dignity and value of every human life our circumstances may vary but our essence does not. We see that our journey in life rarely follows a straight line but is often met with false starts, crises, and mistakes.How we push through and persevere in these challenging moments is where we begin to create the life Of our dreams—from discovering our vocations to giving back to others.

Personal and instructive, Life Is What You Make It is about challenging your circumstances, taking control of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest.