This Champion Learns From Failure

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Nick Foles, was voted "most valuable player" of SuperBowl LII. He is also two years removed from contemplating leaving the game of football entirely after being traded, benched, and cut. As well as he played last Sunday, Foles's post-game comments reinforced the power behind what many educators are channeling to students as "growth mindset." The backup QB who became SuperBowl MVP provided us with a meritorious message of humility and learning, along with a rock-solid game plan for life.

Foles said, “The big thing is don’t be afraid to fail. In our society today with Instagram and Twitter, it’s all highlight reel. All of the good things, but when you look at it, and failure is a part of life. That’s a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of times and made mistakes.”

“I am not perfect, I am not Superman. I may be in the NFL, and we just won the Super Bowl, but I still have daily struggles. When you look at struggles in life, know that it’s an opportunity to grow. If something is going wrong in life, embrace it because you’re growing.”

“We all are human and have weaknesses. Throughout this, being able to share that and being transparent. I know when I hear people sharing those things I am listening because I can resonate.”

I'm a Chicago Bears fan, but as an educator tuning in to learning, I couldn't help but be impressed with the insight shared by Nick Foles last Sunday night.

** Cue "Gonna Fly Now" from the movie Rocky! **

Photo Attribution: Zennie Abraham, Flickr; CC-BY-ND 2.0

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