I will admit it— I don’t like to make mistakes. I happen to have a reoccurring dream that attests to this fact.
I’m sprinting across campus to my college class. Mere seconds before, I look at my class schedule and discover that I am supposed to be in my Science Class. My feet are not moving fast enough to get there in time and I’m extremely distraught. It’s as if I’m standing still, yet I feel myself working so hard to move forward. I run to the building and pull open the double doors to an auditorium-sized room. Everyone stares at me as I run into the room out of breath. Only then, I realize that everyone is taking their final exam and I’ve missed every single class in the whole quarter!
I believe that the big fear in my dream is making a mistake. I’ve failed to look closely at my class schedule and make note of when I need to be at my class. I’ve failed for numerous weeks to look at my class schedule and get to my class. That’s a pretty big mistake and apparently, my subconscious is telling me I don’t like to make mistakes. As if I didn’t already know that.
I’m going to imagine that many of you reading this don’t like to make mistakes in life. If you’re a girlfriend that holds yourself to very high standards, you know what I’m talking about here. However, making mistakes is just part of life, and to become comfortable with the idea, you might just have to change your perspective on messing up. So to help you understand why it is important to make mistakes, read on.
Making Mistakes is a learning tool. There is no way you can become proficient in any aspect of your life without making the occasional mistake. The truth is, we learn much more from falling flat on our face then we ever do from being successful. But here’s the key, if you’re spending time ruminating about falling flat on your face, forget it. Assess the situation, be honest with yourself and learn how to be more effective next time. Don’t equate the mistake with your self-worth. Chalk it up to a learning experience and move on.
Challenging yourself in life means that you will probably make mistakes. Yes, it’s scary to mess up but if you want to be successful in life, you need to take chances. When you take chances, you run the risk of being wrong and making a mistake. If you’re more concerned with making mistakes than achieving your goals and dreams in life, you’re definitely going to miss out on a lot of life’s experiences. You’re going to feel stifled and never evolve into the person you were intended to be— your best self. So, push yourself outside your comfort zone and experience life!
View mistakes as a warning to take heed in life. For example, if you were backing out of your driveway and you hit your son’s car because you were too scattered and not focused, use that as a warning that you might need to change your life. View it as a positive that you have been given a sign in life— you might be taking on too much and need to slow down a bit. Then just let it go and move on. That’s exactly what I did a few months ago.
Face it— everyone, and I mean everyone makes mistakes— its just part of life. Remember to have a little compassion for YOU when you mess up. Don’t let it stop you from living your absolute best life.
