Here is a Nice Thing to Make You Happy
This Facebook open letter, about the 10-year-old girl who applied to the Paris Summer Innovation Fellowship, is well worth two minutes of your time.
In her application, tiny smarty pants Eva asked for help with her robots. Her project, as she put it, was to build a robot that would “make the streets of Paris smile again.” She willingly admitted that she was struggling, and it was that fact (and the adorableness, probably), that won her an acceptance letter to this prestigious fellowship:
I am writing to you personally because your application inspired me. There was nothing on the website that said the program was open to 10 year olds but — as you must have noticed — nothing that said that it was not. You’ve openly told us that you had trouble making the robot work on your own and needed help. That was a brave thing to admit, and ultimately what convinced us to take on your project. Humility and the willingness to learn in order to go beyond our current limitations are at the heart and soul of innovation.
So there’s your morning career advice: dream big, admit your shortcomings, ask for help. Also, be a cute kid, if possible.
