Finding your strength

Today Fareed Zakaria interviewed Malcolm Gladwell about his new book, 'David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants’. They discussed underestimated 'underdogs' including dyslexics.

The autobiographical anecdote told by one of Gladwell’s successful dyslexics fits a pattern I recognized decades ago while reading an essay about his own youth by Yousuf Karsh. A young person, usually just prior to entering adolescence, who has been struggling with rejection has a small, skill-based triumph. This triumph becomes core to their identity for the rest of their lives. It gives them the ability to tell themselves that "I can do this. I have this strength". For Karsh it was having the best snapshot among those submitted by two dozen others in his seventh grade classroom. It was one of his first uses of a camera and launched a passion and a career. He knew it was a good picture; This was not false praise, and it was the best among a group he identified as his peers.

This is why it is important for young people to make genuine efforts and receive honest feedback. Giving everyone an automatic pass or false praise does not have the desired effect. Recognition of a true success, even a very small one, lays a foundation for the rest of their lives.