How Failure Can Make Us Better

During the 15th century, Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a broken vase to China for repairs. When he received it back, it was stitched with ugly metal staples. Disappointed with the results, Japanese craftsmen used gold and silver lacquer to fix the vase, making it even more beautiful than before. The craft became known as kintsugi.

The practice symbolizes the idea that recovering from failure can actually make us better and that flaws and imperfections can be transformed into strengths. It is beautiful concept, which we can all integrate in our lives.

I asked my followers on LinkedIn if they learned more from failure or from success, and the majority choose failure as the better teacher! Yes, missteps can break us down, but they also force us to grow and heal, which makes us stronger than before.

Summer is the season to take a deep breath and let it go, allowing yourself to forget the mistakes of the first half of the year, and prepare for the battles waiting for us in the future.

😎 A 5-Step Peronal Branding Framework

You are amazing - it’s time to let others know!

A strong personal brand allows your achievements and reputation to work for you even when you are not in the room. This Buffer blog shares a simple 5-step framework that will help you craft your perfect personal brand.

Read the full blog here.

Shelf Shocks

1. All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive by Rainesford Stauffer

We praise ambition. Sometimes, we praise it too high. Rainesford Stauffer explores our relationship with ambition and how it has been twisted.

The book examines the many factors which fuel our thirst for success (family expectations, self-esteem, capitalism) and how we put this empty pursuit above our own happiness, health and relationships. In the end, she offers a way to reframe how we look at ambition, so that it fulfils us, rather than hurt us.

For all of you hustling and grinding out there, this book can be a wake-up call, which I hope more people answer, before it is too late.

2. Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear by Dr. Frank Luntz

We are constantly communicating: improving this skill is a good investment. Fortunately, Dr. Frank Luntz has written a helpful guide for choosing better language, winning arguments, taming conflict and getting your point across in the best way possible.

The author has consulted some of the most influential US politicians. He shares many examples of the importance of proper communication in politics and business, as well as teach us some of the best rules we can follow to improve our communication.

3. Unbroken Optimist by Kofi Douhadji

A healthy dose of optimism is always welcome, especially in the summer.

Dive into Kofi Douhadji’s story of ambition and resilience, as he left his small rural home of Afagnan, in Togo, Africa, to pursue his dreams of moving to America and becoming a pilot.

Throughout the many challenges, he relied on his discipline, persistence and optimism to find the way out, and now, he wants to inspire others do to the same. His honest and heartfelt memoir can infect you with a healthy dose of optimism.

Fun Links

1. Really Good Emails

Do you like emails? Want some cool inspiration for your own newsletter or your next email marketing campaign? I know just the place!

ReallyGoodEmails collects, well, really good emails, which can inspire you the next time you are thinking about an email to design. It gathers examples from many different categories, so you surely find something that speaks to you.

You've reached the end of my newsletter. Hooray! If you have any comments or would like to share what you enjoyed the most, feel free to get in touch! See you in two weeks!