The benefits of mistakes (III)

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old.

Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?

Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43.18-19

We have been looking at the issue of mistakes. We cannot live without making mistakes and much as mistakes are a part of life we must learn to make the most of mistakes. We must minimise the making of mistakes and learn to maximise the lessons mistakes come with. Mistakes are a great educational tool which we must maximise.

In making mistakes we must be wise at it. We must never make the same mistake twice. A person who makes the same mistake twice is devoid of wisdom. Making a mistake twice is a symptom of not reviewing one’s life.

At the end of every event, meeting, day, week, month or year we need to review and see where we have failed and succeeded. Looking back after any event is a good way to see if we have made mistakes and find ways to avoid repeating them.

“But making the same mistakes over and over can be costly in more ways than one. Perhaps your team has lost faith in you because your behaviour doesn’t match your words. Or maybe your errors have cost you or someone else a lot of money. The good news is, you can take steps to learn from your mistakes. Then, instead of repeating them again, you’ll gain valuable wisdom that will help you in the future.” Amy Morin

“Hindsight or our ability to see our past clearly, is a learning function that, when damaged … renders us unable to look at the past to guide ourselves through the present and into the future. Without this ability, we cannot learn from our mistakes. We cannot clean up the wreckage of our actions. We are locked into a cycle of repeating the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. This is commonly known as the definition of insanity.” Barbara S. Cole.

When we make mistakes we must bounce back from the negativity that comes with making mistakes and critically analyse what happened by asking questions. We must discipline ourselves to come out of the negative emotions that come with mistakes – regret, guilt, disappointment, frustration, depression, despair etc.

“Whether it’s at work, your family life, or in your relationships, you’re bound to disappoint yourself and others at some point.

But for you to make progress in life, you must learn from your mistakes.

You must learn to understand why you made a mistake or experienced failure, and take corrective actions.

That’s what successful people do.

If you have ever done something only to regret it later, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed.

You can learn how to make better choices, and these mistake quotes will help you do just that.

They will help you gain valuable wisdom that will benefit you in the future.

Along the road of life, you make many choices.

And the decisions you make will determine the kind of person you become later and even affect your future.” Norbert Juma

TO BE CONTINUED