Look beyond your mistakes and move on
There are many times when we find ourselves repeating mistakes over and over again and apologising for that same mistake over and over again. Mistakes are bound to happen in life, mistakes are part of being human but when it becomes a frequent routine then it has crossed its limits and there is the need […]
There are many times when we find ourselves repeating mistakes over and over again and apologising for that same mistake over and over again. Mistakes are bound to happen in life, mistakes are part of being human but when it becomes a frequent routine then it has crossed its limits and there is the need for caution.
There are mistakes that we make without knowing that we are committing a mistake, while there are those we do deliberately knowing the consequences of such actions. There are two ways to look at the world: the generous way or the wicked or malevolent way. People with malevolent or negative worldview take a victim stance, seeing life as a continuous succession of problems and a process of unfairness and oppression. They don’t expect a lot and they don’t get much. When things go wrong, they shrug their shoulders and passively accept that this is the way life is and there isn’t anything they can do to make it better forgetting that there is actually a lot that can be done to make things better.
On the other hand, people with a benevolent or positive worldview see the world around them as filled with opportunities and possibilities. They believe that everything happens as part of a great process designed to make them successful and happy. As a result, people with a benevolent worldview are able to deal constructively and effectively with mistakes and temporary setbacks. When you develop the skill of learning from your mistakes, you are the kind of person who welcomes obstacles and setbacks as opportunities to move ahead.
Mistakes and problems are good. Without them there would be no opportunities for greatness. But they become bad when we deliberately do it to hurt the other person. When you take every challenge that life throws at you, accepting it as an inevitable part of the growing experience, you then can turn it to your advantage in every way possible. Almost every mistake you make contains a hidden treasure that only you can apply to your life to forge a future that is extraordinary and worthwhile.
Life is a continuous succession of problems and mistakes, but it is what happens to us and how we are able to react and learn from these problems and mistakes that makes a difference in our lives. There is the ability within us to always learn from our mistakes. “Many see mistakes as something not worthwhile, but mistakes and problems are good because without them there would be no opportunities for success or greatness,” says psychologist Samuel David, a consultant with an NGO in Abuja.
The ramifications of the mistakes we make will normally be short-lived but the experiences and lessons we learn from it is what matters because it makes us a better person and enhances our life for a long time to come.
The greatest mistake we can ever make is failing to accept when we make a mistake, thereby throwing away all the lessons that come along with it. Mistakes are unavoidable in life and leaders certainly make their share of them. The first point about mistakes is that great individuals learn from their own mistakes. They know when they make it and will quickly look at what can be salvaged or gained from the mistake as to avoid it in the future or to streamline some action or process to improve it next time.
A friend once said that most mistakes made in relationships and marriages are very dangerous but if lessons are learnt from the mistakes it makes the relationship stronger and better. In his words, “Friendship, most especially marriage is like a mirror. Once one mistake is made, a crack is created in it and it is amended, and if the mistake is repeated over and over again, the mirror then has several cracks and at the end of the day is discarded and a new one is gotten.” So, that is how repeated mistakes have effect on our relationships. So, do not let the fear and possibility of mistakes hold you back. Embrace it as long as you are willing to learn positively from them as they lead you to a better and stronger you.