Mindset matters, make the most out of failure. | Anup Thomas | TEDxSJCC

Anup’s Journey Through Failure: A Triple E Approach

Key Concepts:

• Failure as a Learning Opportunity: The central theme revolves around reframing failure not as a setback, but as a crucial component of growth and success.
• Triple E Approach: Embrace, Enrich, Enable – a framework for navigating and leveraging failure.
• Mindset: The importance of a positive and resilient mindset in overcoming adversity.
• Kintsugi: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, symbolizing finding beauty and strength in imperfections.
• Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties.

Early Encounters with Failure & The Foundation of Resilience

The speaker, Anup, begins by acknowledging the universality of failure, noting that everyone in the audience has experienced it. His personal journey with failure began at age 10 when his father lost his job, creating financial hardship for the family. This initial experience presented a pivotal choice: succumb to despair or view the situation as a challenge. The family chose the latter, with Anup starting to work at age 13 – delivering newspapers, milk, and assisting at a bakery – to contribute financially. This early exposure instilled a strong work ethic and a nascent understanding of resilience.

His academic journey was also marked by challenges. He struggled with public speaking, specifically reading aloud in class, experiencing anxiety and difficulty articulating words. Despite barely passing 10th grade with a score of 53 (passing mark was 35), he secured admission to St. Joseph’s College, thanks to the encouragement of Principal Father Walter Andre, who recognized his potential despite his weak English skills. Anup emphasizes that this opportunity fundamentally altered his life trajectory.

Navigating Academic and Financial Hurdles

St. Joseph’s College proved to be a transformative, albeit difficult, experience. The institution intentionally “broke” students – both emotionally and intellectually – to rebuild them stronger. Anup faced significant challenges with English communication, initially struggling to converse with lecturers and classmates. He overcame this by dedicating himself to self-study, spending hours in the library reading books, watching English news, and meticulously noting down new vocabulary. He credits the support of his classmates, who encouraged him to practice even with broken English, as instrumental to his progress.

Simultaneously, Anup continued to support his family financially, working part-time jobs selling credit cards and insurance. He highlights that each rejection while selling insurance served as a valuable lesson in dealing with failure.

Professional Beginnings & The Pursuit of Qualification

After graduating, Anup secured a placement at HP through campus recruitment. However, he encountered a common misunderstanding – people in his hometown of Kerala assumed he worked at Hindustan Petroleum due to the “HP” abbreviation, highlighting a lack of awareness about Hewlett-Packard. His first project at HP failed, providing another learning experience.

Four years into his role, Anup felt the need for further qualification to advance his career. Inspired by a banker friend, he decided to pursue the Chartered Accountancy (CA) course, considered the “toughest course in finance.” He acknowledges that he might have chosen a different path, like civil service, had he known it was even more challenging.

The Rigors of CA & The Triple E Approach Emerges

The CA journey was fraught with failures. He faced public humiliation when a partner threw his audit report back at him in front of colleagues. He failed the CA exam in his first attempt by a narrow margin of eight marks, and again in his second attempt by six marks, leading to feelings of despair and a desire to abandon his studies.

However, he persevered, confronting his emotions – failure, fear, resentment, and self-pity – and ultimately cleared the exam on his third attempt. This experience, coupled with ongoing failures in his professional life (working in risk consulting, where identifying potential failures is inherent), led him to formulate the Triple E Approach to failure:

1. Embrace Failure: Accept that failure is an inevitable part of life and allow yourself to experience the associated emotions.
2. Enrich Through Failure: Analyze failures to identify lessons learned, areas for improvement, and necessary changes in approach.
3. Be Enabled by Failure: Use failure as a catalyst for growth and propel yourself towards a new trajectory.

Kintsugi & A Call to Action

Anup draws a parallel between the Triple E approach and the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold dust, creating a more beautiful and valuable object. He views failure as breaking us, but the right mindset – the “gold dust” – allows us to rebuild stronger and more resilient.

He concludes with a call to action, urging the audience to embrace this mindset, leverage their potential, and contribute positively to humanity. He emphasizes that it’s “okay to fall, okay to fail, dust off, and rise again, but with the right mindset.”

Data & Statistics:

• Passing mark for 10th grade at the time was 35, Anup scored 53.
• Failed CA exam by 8 marks in the first attempt and 6 marks in the second attempt.

Notable Quotes:

• “Mindset really matters.” – Anup, emphasizing the importance of a positive outlook.
• “Failure breaks us but the mindset is the gold dust.” – Anup, drawing the analogy to Kintsugi.
• “This institution breaks you both your bone and your heart. But just to build you up.” – Anup, describing the challenging yet formative environment of St. Joseph’s College.

This summary aims to provide a detailed and specific account of Anup’s speech, preserving the original language and focusing on actionable insights derived from his experiences and the Triple E framework.