WHY MISTAKES ARE KEYS TO GROWTH

Milton Hershey filed bankruptcy twice. James Lee Burke had a manuscript rejected 111 times; the book was nominated for a Pulitzer. Making a mistake is not always a bad thing.

WRITER: BRIDGET WEBBER

Making a mistake often feels like the worst thing that could happen, but there are ways to get beyond it.

Mistakes help you learn and grow; without them, you remain static. Not moving forward means you don’t expand your consciousness or gain a greater understanding of yourself and life. If you don’t make blunders and have no faults, you won’t understand others who aren’t perfect. Going through challenges, and slipping up on the way, clarifies what it’s like to be vulnerable. Later, you see the same quality in others, and your compassion comes out.

Acceptance

Acceptance is one of the greatest lessons errors teach. If you struggle for perfection, scolding yourself when you’ve made gaffes, it hurts. Accept that it’s OK to make mistakes and be kind to yourself, offering forgiveness, and learning how to self-soothe. You’ll become your best friend and be selfsufficient. You have other friends, but you don’t need anyone else to make you happy because you know how to manage your choices. Accept that getting things wrong may make you wiser and stronger and perhaps undergo personal growth.

When you make an error, don’t judge yourself. Look at the situation closely and glean what insight you can. Don’t criticize your choices. If you are upset, take a moment to self-soothe, and then look for what you can learn from this. Find a place where you won’t be disturbed, sit comfortably, and take slow, even breaths. Slow breathing helps you gain heart coherence and helps you balance your emotional state.

While relaxed, let go of misgivings and the critical voice in your head. When your mind is clear, allow gratitude to fill your heart, imagining it as a feeling of warmth entering your heart and expanding throughout your body. Remind yourself of the valuable knowledge gained from your ordeal as you continue to breathe evenly and deeply. Let acceptance wash over you, knowing it’s not only all right to make mistakes, but healthy.

While relaxing, allow your mistakes to help you navigate your relationships and comprehend why others behave the way they do. Marvel at how amazing life is to demonstrate lessons through your errors. Remember you are a student during the entirety of your time on the planet. Be willing to study in any way life sees fit to teach you.

Your mistakes are important as they occur to aid growth. Acknowledge their significance. Delve beneath them, realizing they shape you and make you more than you would be without them.