Author: Russ Landreth

Mistakes are a good thing. Mistakes show attempts to learn and grow. Sometimes mistakes happen because a person isn’t being attentive to their task and the only thing they learn is to pay attention. Sometimes the result can be disastrous or even inventive if the outcome of the mistake creates a new product or substance. Mostly we will focus on the mistakes made because we are doing something new or trying to get new results and have no set procedures to follow.

Throughout life, you should never admonished yourself for making mistakes and I hope someday that you will get to love them as much as I do. For humans, the best quality we have is the ability to make mistakes and learn from them. I hope you make a mistake today, and every day for the rest of your life.

We are creatures of growth and learning. We should be making mistakes on a daily basis (if you are not making daily mistakes, you are not trying hard to live up to your potential). Sometimes these mistakes can attract attention because other people think they would never make that mistake (mostly, these people are wrong and would generally react in much the same way given the same circumstances you had to deal with). Personally, I applaud anyone who makes a mistake. Yes, sometimes the mistake can cost money, trust, hardship, etc … but at least the person tried to accomplish something new. I’ve made many mistakes, and I hope to make many more. People make mistakes and I hope they continue to make mistakes, continue to grow and learn and try to do new things.

Sometimes the mistake is comical – those mistakes can be a little embarrassing and should be relished and shared by the mistake maker as often as possible. We are humans and are allowed to make mistakes. Getting into the wrong car and not realizing it until we attempt to start it should be told to all our friends, showing our humanity and creating some enjoyment in life. Laugh at yourself, and enjoy the laughter of others.

Sometimes the mistake is critical – those mistakes can cost lives and livelihoods and should be shared to give information to other people to help further loss from similar mistakes that might be avoidable if someone else knew what could happen. Accidentally mixing chemicals in a work environment can cause death and property damage that can be learned from, regardless of the feeling of guilt and remorse by the person causing the accident.

Sometimes the mistake is harmful to others – having an affair can hurt those you love but should still be shared to contribute to the overall health of the relationship. By being honest with your spouse you can possibly find out if an underlying reason exists for the affair that could be fixed and thus avoid future incidences of infidelity. Yes, it will cause pain for both parties – but not having the conversation will typically force the relationship to slowly die as problems are not resolved and feelings of guilt continue to grow into resentment.

Mistakes are necessary for human innovation and invention. Human growth relies on mistakes being made and learned from. Each of us has made and will make many mistakes. Mistakes teach us how to have relationships and how to do things. Can you imagine a child walking without making any mistakes while trying to learn? Making mistakes at a new job can teach us why specific procedures are in place for many of the tasks to ensure quality and product integrity. Every invention, every theory, and every person has evolved because of mistakes being made. Every new activity requires some mistakes to be made, so the person that never makes a mistake is not challenged at all. To be so complacent or so afraid to make a mistake will lead to a dull and boring existence instead of a rich and fulfilling life.

Mistakes have led to improvements in every aspect of our lives. From new products being invented to new ways to live, somewhere at the beginning a mistake was usually made. Often times, inventions are the results of trying to make a totally different product.

For most people, daily mistakes take on a more personal nature. The incredibly hard tasks of communicating and forming relationships require many mistakes to be made. Do you know the best way to communicate with your significant other? If you can honestly answer yes, you have made many mistakes to get to that point – if you can’t answer ‘yes’, mistakes are imminent. There is no usable manual on how to have a perfect relationship, because relationships vary by the people involved in them. Guidelines, certainly, can be written down (which was developed after many mistakes and trials) to give a starting point, but they can not be exact – only generalized. The only way we can ultimately learn everything we need to know is to get the general information, the try different techniques until you find the one the gives the results you need. Yes, success depends on mistakes.

If you were going to run a nuclear power facility, you would attend several years of training and you would be expected to make mistakes in the learning environment. When you learn to drive, it is expected that you will make mistakes. In school, no one expects every student to get 100% in every subject, kids are expected to make mistakes. Why do you expect now to make no mistakes even though you are learning new things? Why do you expect other adults to be mistake free? As you get older, fear of making mistakes takes too much away from too many people. We should learn new things until we die, and we should make mistakes every step of the way. Humans make mistakes, accept that you are human, and allow yourself to make mistakes. Accept that your friends and loved ones and strangers on the street are humans and are also allowed to make mistakes. Revel in the mistakes made by others, not to gloat but to realize that they are learning something new – and use that knowledge to motivate yourself to also learn something new. From newborns to 100 year old seniors, we can learn something new and should be making mistakes. The wisest people know they know little and realize that they still make mistakes. I try really hard to be right 80% of the time, which means I am wrong and make mistakes 20% of the time. This means, I grow a little more each day.

The hardest mistakes to take are those made by other people that seem to harm you. We tend to take these mistakes overly personal, and the injuries are intentional. This is generally NOT true. These people are making mistakes like they are supposed to. Their intentions are not harmful, they are just learning. The pain you feel isn’t as important as their growth when it comes to loved ones, and to live your life thinking that your significant other will never cause you pain or never make a mistake is foolish and unrealistic. Make your mistakes, and when you harm loved ones – let them know your intentions and what outcome you were hoping for. Ask them how they would have proceeded, after all achieving your initial your goal is still just as important so you need to try again. Try it their way, maybe it will work – but it will show your intentions and will help them deal with the pain caused.

Let your loved ones know you have expectations that they will make mistakes. Mistakes are ok, and when they happen – you will listen to them. Pain may be caused, but you will bear it as best you can as you try to understand their intentions. And when it is all over, you will try hard to help them come up with a way to reach their goals without causing you pain in the future. Let them know that your goal is to help them with their goals, and that making mistakes has to be part of the relationship if it is to grow and reach its full potential. In the end, the relationship is what is important – not some silly mistake made because the person didn’t know how to obtain their goal.

So be comforted by the fact that it is ok to make mistakes, in fact – it is your job. Also breath softly as I tell you that what you did yesterday isn’t all that important – but what you learned from doing it is. Don’t be ashamed or humiliated or feel guilty or worthless if you make a mistake, instead relish in the knowledge that you just grew. Make more mistakes than anyone else you know, and you will have the better life because you grew the most.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/congratulations-you-made-a-mistake–1246641.html

About the Author

Russ is the author of 5 minutes blog, to change your world – 5 Minutes at a time. After decades of giving advice to friends and family, he is sharing his unique views on Reality and Perceptions and how they affect our daily lives with the world. All posts/articles can be freely used with byline and source noted. Copyright 2009, Russ Landreth.