If you think you can get through life without taking risks and making mistakes, think again!
Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle? Can you relive the exhilaration of riding free, the sense of triumph as you broke free of the crutches of support? Now step back. How many times did you fall off the bike before that first ride?
All through school, a mistake indicates the prospect of lower grades. Good students don't make mistakes. At home, mistakes lead to admonishments. Good children follow the rules. At work, mistakes have serious repercussions. Good workers get it right the first time.
But, in those very schools and organizations where we are marked down for making mistakes, we also learn that people often stumble upon great inventions. There's growing evidence to suggest that innovation flourishes when people are given the space to make mistakes. Even Mahatma Gandhi attached value to experimentation; he believed that "freedom isn't worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes."
But, in those very schools and organizations where we are marked down for making mistakes, we also learn that people often stumble upon great inventions. There's growing evidence to suggest that innovation flourishes when people are given the space to make mistakes. Even Mahatma Gandhi attached value to experimentation; he believed that "freedom isn't worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes."
Life is full of risks and it's only when we no longer have a pulse that we avoid risk altogether. Risk is an inevitable part of life, so we simply have to accept the existence of risk.
Even so, there are people who go out of their way to avoid all risk and frankly, they are doing far more damage than good. Risk adverse people often turn down great opportunities for fear of making a mistake and bringing about some sort of stress on themselves.
Too many people for instance, will opt to stay in their comfort zone and complain about a lack of friends, a lack of money, a lack of opportunity - or whatever it might be - rather than go out there and DO the stuff necessary to change their situation for the better. They don't want to make a mistake! They don't want to 'fail'!
Talk to any successful person about this approach to life and they will tell you straight out that if it wasn't for their willingness to go out there and have a go - and make the necessary mistakes and take the necessary risks - they would NOT be successful. They would NOT be where they are now.
Mistakes play a key role in this self-discovery thing. We have to make mistakes when we DO the stuff that helps us become the person we want to be. We have to be willing to make mistakes, in order to create the life we want. Because it won't just fall into our laps. We do have to get out of our comfort zones every once in a while and make things happen.
Sophia Loren, the Italian actress made a brilliant statement once that illustrated this point beautifully. She said,"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."
Sophia Loren, the Italian actress made a brilliant statement once that illustrated this point beautifully. She said,"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."
So don't be afraid to take risks. Mistakes Are the Guides to Future Success. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! It's what you simply must be prepared to do, if you really want to have a full life!
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