When someone celebrates success, no one asks how many times they've failed. And yet, most successful people will tell you that their success came from failures. To achieve success, they had to fail many times and learn from their mistakes.
Last Saturday, our Youth Services team and 8 staff from Newfields Advisory Sdn. Bhd. took 64 prefects from SMK La Salle Klang out for a 2 Days 1 Night leadership camp. This was done in hopes of inspiring them to have courage to outlive their lives, leave a good legacy. Some of the prefects were skeptical at first, not knowing what to expect. However, at the end of the camp they shared how they had learnt a lot about courage, leadership, teamwork, and failure.
Andy* (not his real name) shared how he grew up in Ipoh and only moved down to Kuala Lumpur with his family a few years back. He thought he would adjust to his new enviroment easily but it was harder than he expected. Unable to adapt, he decided to skip school and his grades suffered. This camp made him realise that he needed to have courage to move forward. He said, "I now have the motivation to do well and I want to pass this knowledge on to my juniors."
Newfields Advisory Managing Director, Voon Ping, summed up everything in one line--it is okay to make mistakes. He shared how he would always encourage his staff by telling them if they make a mistake the first time, try again. If they make the mistake a second time, learn from it. If they make the mistake a third time, ask someone for help. Ultimately, the courage to make mistakes will help us succeed in life.
There are many youths who get lost in disappointment and lose hope when they meet with failure. This is why good character and values are important in determining how they respond to challenges and what drives them in life. For these prefects, our hope is that they will grow into courageous young men who will leave a legacy that inspires others in the future.
As we reflected on the camp, most of us agree that the lessons were important even for working adults. However, learning it in our youth would have prepared us better for adulthood. Instead of trying to change a generation, our hope is to raise an exemplary next generation. Let change start with them.