Own your mistakes | Cristel Carrisi | TEDxZagreb

Summary

The speaker discusses the discomfort surrounding failure and how it's perceived differently in Italy compared to the United States. She shares her personal journey of founding a fashion brand and the eventual heartbreak of closing it down. The talk emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for failures, focusing on personal growth rather than external perceptions, and finding balance to learn from setbacks. She concludes that failure can be a stepping stone to success if we own our mistakes and learn from them.

Takeaways

• 😣 Failure is an uncomfortable topic that everyone experiences but rarely discusses openly.
• 🌐 Cultural differences play a significant role in how failure is perceived; it's more accepted in the US but stigmatized in Italy.
• 🎤 Growing up in the public eye in Italy, the speaker faced additional pressure to avoid 'brutta figura' (losing face).
• 👚 The speaker's entrepreneurial journey led to the founding of a fashion brand, which she passionately developed over seven years.
• 💸 Despite hard work and dedication, financial realities forced the closure of her company, leading to a personal crisis around failure.
• 🔍 A pivotal moment came when an accountant advised her to focus on the efforts and achievements, not just the failure.
• 🏆 The speaker realized the importance of acknowledging her hard work and the value of the experience gained from failure.
• 📈 She learned that failure can be a stepping stone to success, but the path to that realization is not often discussed.
• 📋 The speaker proposes three guidelines to navigate failure: taking responsibility, focusing on personal growth, and finding balance.
• 🤔 The importance of not comparing oneself to others and focusing on personal journey and quality of work was emphasized.
• 🌈 Life's outcomes are influenced more by our reactions to events than the events themselves, highlighting the value of learning from failure.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the speech?

The main topic of the speech is the uncomfortable yet relatable subject of failure, and how it is perceived differently across cultures, particularly in the United States and Italy.

How does the speaker describe the cultural differences in dealing with failure between the United States and Italy?

In the United States, failure is more openly discussed, accepted, and even glorified to some extent, especially when discussed from a position of success. In contrast, in Italy, failure is seen as a stigma, embarrassing, shameful, and taboo.

What is 'brutta figura' and how does it relate to the fear of failure in Italy?

'Brutta figura' is an Italian term that means to lose face or to look bad. It relates to the fear of failure in Italy as it is culturally unacceptable to appear as if one has failed, which adds to the stigma around failure.

What challenges did the speaker face growing up in the public eye in Italy?

The speaker faced the challenge of public judgment and mass media scrutiny due to her parents being known singers in Italy, which made avoiding 'brutta figura' even more difficult.

What entrepreneurial venture did the speaker start at the age of 24?

The speaker started her first company, a fashion brand specializing in swimwear, at the age of 24.

How did the speaker feel when she had to close down her company?

The speaker felt embarrassed, shameful, and was worried about what people would say and think, which reflects the cultural stigma of failure in Italy.

What advice did the speaker's accountant give her that helped her come to terms with her failure?

The accountant advised her to stop focusing on the end result of closing her company and to give herself credit for the hard work and accomplishments over the seven years.

What were some of the accomplishments the speaker achieved with her fashion brand?

The speaker grew her brand into a recognizable and reputable one, worked with incredible photographers, influencers, and models worldwide, and received thousands of emails from satisfied clients.

What are the three guidelines the speaker suggests to get through and own up to failure?

The three guidelines are: 1) Be responsible and take full ownership of mistakes, 2) Focus on oneself and not on others' opinions or lives, and 3) Find balance by recognizing both the negatives and positives of one's journey.

How does the speaker define success and failure?

The speaker defines success and failure not as black and white but as a spectrum, where life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

What is the key takeaway from the speaker's experience with failure?

The key takeaway is that failure can be inspiring and lead to better things, but only if we learn from it and own up to our failures.