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Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten, and I wished her success. I was lying. What I actually wish for her is failure. I believe in the power of failure. Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can often be a problematic victory. First-time success is usually a fluke. First-time failure, by contrast, is expected; it is the natural order of things. Failure is how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase describing a good cook as she who has broken many pots. If youve spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a lot about cooking. I once had a dinner with a group of chefs, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility their failures gave them. I earn my living by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am aware that one column is going to be the worst column. I dont set out to write it; I try my best every day. I have learned to cherish that column. | 
