Jordan Williamson joined our group of high school students from Japan to share his story of learning through sports. His message is simple: We learn the most valuable life lessons not through success, but through failure. The all-time leading scorer in Stanford football history, his public failure in one college football game was the low point of his life which became the source of his transformation as a human being. He explained to the young people so afraid of failing that accepting our vulnerability and human imperfection is the way to self compassion, compassion for others, and deep human connection. This road may also lead to totally unexpected discoveries and open new opportunities for growth. So as hard as it is to endure we must stay together in community and keep the faith that we will be all right, trusting in the process of learning through our hardships.
The high-achieving youth took this message to heart and began to open to their vulnerable selves and as they did this, others followed. In togetherness they shared their vulnerabilities and felt the warm human connection. They saw that obvious differences in the way that they acted were simply their own ways of defending themselves and hiding their tender parts. Taking off their armor was scary but liberating and they realized that underneath, deep inside we are all alike and in some mysterious way all one.
Jordan produced this video in one of my classes: https://bit.ly/2KdwtxS