Lessons from Mr Urban Farmer

Mr Urban Farmer told me that my cactus just need more sunlight to make food and it will do fine. Words from the experts can sometimes be so obvious that we miss it out.

So here are my efforts to give them a good sun tan. I don't think it's enough actually and I probably need to find alternatives.

I always think that I'm bad with plants and I won't be able to keep them alive for long. Because of that, I tend not to invest too much time in it because I somehow feel that I can't make it. Yet, a lot of things in life involves trying and failing in order to succeed. By embracing that kind of can't-make-it mindset, it sets me back and confirms my labels on myself. Too quickly, I judged and drew conclusions.

Mr Urban Farmer shared that he has killed many plants. I bet more than me. That's probably why he is so much better than me.

Today, one of my student came into class looking downcast. I felt something was amiss and probed further. It turned out that she had a math test and she couldn't do most questions in the test as it was really challenging. Most of her friends thought that too. As I was talking to her, I sensed that she was really disappointed in herself. Putting myself in her position, I can understand why. She's from an elite school and she did very well for her previous math test. She probably felt she's a failure and stupid this time. She probably lost some interest in math and her confidence wavered too. I know that because I felt that many times before and they are very real emotions.

As I embark on this journey on growth mindset, I know I must do sth for this girl. After church, I texted her and told her to focus not just on the grades but on learning from her mistakes. Failures shouldn't kill us but their purpose is bring us a step closer to our success. We can either give up and conclude we are stupid, or we can push on, knowing that we are better today than ystd. That's the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

Are you being plagued by failures or disappointments today? Always remember that there's always good in every bad. It's really what we want to focus on. Don't just say I am bad in this or that. Ask yourself how I can be better. I know what it feels when everything you set your heart to do goes against you. But you need to dig deep within you and find the strength to take that next step.

Keep on, going. You are a winner.