Why do we as a society have such an obsession with always being right? From a very early age we are taught that we making mistakes is bad; that we have to be perfect; that smart people don’t make mistakes; that the only way to succeed is to never make mistakes.
How can this possibly make sense? The only way to learn is by making mistakes. We learn and grow from mistakes, we coast on success.
Thomas Edison was once asked how it felt to fail so many times to make a light bulb. To paraphrase him, he said that he didn’t fail – he learned 2000 ways to not make a light bulb. If the only way to learn something or grow or make something amazing is to make mistakes, then why are mistakes so frowned upon?
Learning from the mistakes we make is what shapes us into who we are. We are so focused on perfection that we become afraid to mess up. We are far too afraid of failure. And that’s a hard thing for me to admit – I am definitely afraid of failure.
I think this fear of failure is something that instilled in us our whole lives. We scold children for their mistakes; we point out what others do wrong. What we should be doing is helping people realize that there is something that can be learned from their mistakes and that they can try again and become better. The only real mistake is not getting up and trying again.
We need moments of surprise, reversal, and wrongness. We need moments where we recognize our weaknesses if we are to ever overcome them. In order to “put off the natural man” we must have these realizations, these paradigm shifts. If we are never able to see ourselves where we really are, we will never be able to work towards where we want or need to be. We need moments where we realize we are wrong if we are to ever improve and reach our true potential.
So what do we do? How do we start seeing mistakes as opportunities for growth? Perhaps the bigger question is, how do we help the future see this? It comes down to the way we personally view mistakes, and the way in which we portray this to others. It starts with us.
We must experience this paradigm shift. We must consciously think about how the mistakes we are making can help us learn and grow. Once this becomes habit, it will be easier to share this perspective with others. When your children make mistakes, no matter how big or small, stay calm. Talk to them about what happened and why. Make sure they know that you aren’t upset. Ask them what they can learn from this experience. Help them to see that mistakes aren’t a bad thing.
Making mistakes isn’t bad. Not learning from them is.
How can this possibly make sense? The only way to learn is by making mistakes. We learn and grow from mistakes, we coast on success.
Thomas Edison was once asked how it felt to fail so many times to make a light bulb. To paraphrase him, he said that he didn’t fail – he learned 2000 ways to not make a light bulb. If the only way to learn something or grow or make something amazing is to make mistakes, then why are mistakes so frowned upon?
Learning from the mistakes we make is what shapes us into who we are. We are so focused on perfection that we become afraid to mess up. We are far too afraid of failure. And that’s a hard thing for me to admit – I am definitely afraid of failure.
I think this fear of failure is something that instilled in us our whole lives. We scold children for their mistakes; we point out what others do wrong. What we should be doing is helping people realize that there is something that can be learned from their mistakes and that they can try again and become better. The only real mistake is not getting up and trying again.
We need moments of surprise, reversal, and wrongness. We need moments where we recognize our weaknesses if we are to ever overcome them. In order to “put off the natural man” we must have these realizations, these paradigm shifts. If we are never able to see ourselves where we really are, we will never be able to work towards where we want or need to be. We need moments where we realize we are wrong if we are to ever improve and reach our true potential.
So what do we do? How do we start seeing mistakes as opportunities for growth? Perhaps the bigger question is, how do we help the future see this? It comes down to the way we personally view mistakes, and the way in which we portray this to others. It starts with us.
We must experience this paradigm shift. We must consciously think about how the mistakes we are making can help us learn and grow. Once this becomes habit, it will be easier to share this perspective with others. When your children make mistakes, no matter how big or small, stay calm. Talk to them about what happened and why. Make sure they know that you aren’t upset. Ask them what they can learn from this experience. Help them to see that mistakes aren’t a bad thing.
Making mistakes isn’t bad. Not learning from them is.