When my sons were in kindergarten in Marietta, Ohio I was called in to have a conference with their teacher. It seems they were coloring outside the lines adding blue sky and green grass to their pictures. In addition, as if that weren't bad enough, they had colored their roses pink and yellow instead of red. Maybe it was because, as we later found out, they were color blind or maybe I was right and they were creative. In any case, this teacher was upset. They were told to stay within the lines and the roses were to be red. To her they were doing it wrong. They were making a mistake.

Sometimes I think the fear of making a mistake squashes creativity. We reward people for doing things right and we do our best to avoid "mistakes" at all costs.

Happily Tom and Jim remain creative. Each in their own way have learned that sometimes you need to do something or view something in a different way in order to discover a new, better way. You can call these new ways: experiments, rough drafts, or prototypes but sometimes it is the "failure" to do or behave in a conventional manner that leads to the greatest success.

I love this quote: "Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living degeniuses them." Buckminister Fuller

I'm proud that my sons are living their lives with passion and the willingness to take a risk.

Sometimes it is best to make a "mistake" or two. If Edison hadn't kept going dispite 2000 "mistakes" we might all be in the dark. It all boils down to how you view the situation. Often a person quits when they are on the threshold of doing the impossible or accomplishing something because they don't want to risk making a "mistake." I hope you dare to take a calculated risk today and be the best of yourself. Follow Burger King's tradition and "Do it your way!"