I know a few people who live in abject fear of making a mistake. They HAVE to be right. It’s as thought their lives depend on it. It’s really hard to live that way. I know – I used to do it.
Mistakes – Good Or Bad?
The thing about making mistakes is that they might be painful in the short run, but they are far more valuable in the long run. Getting something right tells you only one thing – you made a good choice. But getting something wrong tells you many things.
- How you respond when things don’t go well
- How others respond when you make a mistake
- How your decision-making process works and whether it’s working well
- What not to do in the future
Many of us think that making a mistake is a bad thing. But I will offer you this perspective shift. Mistakes aren’t good or bad – they just are. After all, you made many mistakes in order to get where you are today – to become who you are today. If all mistakes were bad, then who you are today would be the product of bad things. But mistakes aren’t bad. They are just opportunities for growth. After all, adversity gives you the opportunity to build your character – to know who you are under pressure and to prove your strength to yourself.
Don’t live in fear of making a mistake – embrace the possibility that you might learn something about yourself instead.