Schools really do encourage bad habits. For starters, always aiming for a perfect score. We’re talking about encouraging a mentality of perfectionism that can lead to students becoming overly anxious and stressed out. It also creates a focus on getting the right answer rather than on learning and understanding the material. 

Moving out of the classroom setting, you now have adults who think the only way to succeed is to achieve perfection. But that’s a stifling mindset to have! There is no 100% mark after graduation. It’s a sliding scale of successes and failures, and both are acceptable, and expected. 

We all make mistakes, and to learn from them and grow, we must not be afraid to take risks. But believing that perfection is the goal, you end up becoming more risk averse.

Learning to accept failure as a part of the process is key to finding success. By doing so, we can be better prepared to take on any challenge that comes our way.

Then there’s the obeisance to a teacher. Now, as a child, that structure is certainly necessary. But they’re not the same as the boss you have once you enter the working world. The relationship with a teacher is like a relationship with a parent: it involves trust, respect, and obedience, but it is not the same as the relationship between employer and employee.

You are very lucky if you find an employer genuinely interested in your well-being and development. The corporate world is profit-driven, and what their looking for isn’t you turning in a well-researched homework assignment. Instead, they’re looking for someone who can bring them tangible results. To stand out and make a difference, you need to be proactive and take initiative. Make sure to show your worth and determination to succeed. Which may mean stepping out of your comfort zone, and taking the risks.

As an adult, it is important to think and act independently, rather than relying on an authority figure for guidance. We must learn to accept failure as part of the process and be willing to take risks in order to find success. It is also important to recognize that the corporate world is profit-driven and employers are looking for tangible results. To stand out and make a difference, we must be proactive and take initiative, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone.