I’m a big fan of chewy candy. I love salt water taffy, Mike and Ikes, Airheads, etc. As a birthday gift, my two-year-old niece, Lilly, gave me a big box of sour gummy stars. The kid knows me pretty well. Shortly after I opened them, she repossessed the gift. She put one in her mouth. As she began to put another in her mouth I told her not to. Sometimes she minds better than other times. She put another piece of candy in her mouth. I explained this may be a bad idea. Have you ever tried to reason with a two-year-old?

She grabbed another gummy star.

She then attempted to chew the mouthful of sugary goodness. It soon dawned on her that plan wasn’t going to work. She tried for a minute or two, but her jaws wouldn’t move. She had a look of frustration as she gave up hope of eating the candy. As she spit the gummys into her Aunt’s hand I could sense a few lessons forming in her head. Since she’s only recently started to articulate her thoughts, I’m not sure what the lesson she took away was. But, I’m going to take a stab at the possibilities:

– Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.
– Take on projects a little at a time.
– If you can’t solve a problem immediately, spit it out and save it for later.
– When a guy who has been doing something 25 times longer than you gives you pointers, you might want to listen to him.

The important thing is that she learned something. The same goes for us. Each mistake or experience we have is a growth opportunity. Learn from them. Even if it’s only “the next time I’m gift shopping for Mike, remember he likes chewy candy.”

Have a fun day.