Learning from your mistakes

Learning from your mistakes

 

None of us are infallible and we are prone to committing mistakes. The best is to accept ourselves as someone imperfect and try not to be the perfect souls around. Learning from mistakes helps in progression and growth of mind.

 

James Joyce said: "Mistakes are the portals of discovery." This indeed sums up the importance of mistakes one commits in his/her lifetime. We tend to think that with time and maturity, we would make lesser mistakes, but sadly that doesn't happen. Maturity makes us confident but not infallible. None of us are perfect and we are prone to committing mistakes. Mistakes can't be shunned and they are not as fatal as they are made out to be; they can at best be avoided with a bit of caution. As Henry Ford puts it, "Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement."

 

No one likes mistakes and hence finding the underlying cause helps a lot to deal with it and overcome it to an extent. Even the most successful people make mistakes. Here are some tips to learn from the mistakes:

 

 

·         Don't take things for granted: Never have this attitude to life as then you are left with nothing. Think deeply for the reasons and write them down. Seeing them objectively helps you to identify the mistakes. Rectify yourself instantly from the fallacies. Never give up when you still have something to give.

 

·         Don't try to be a perfectionist: No one's perfect, nor are you. Accept it. When you fear committing a mistake, you end up doing nothing. Roosevelt had said: "The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything." Remember, there is absolutely no harm in making mistakes; it's just another means of moving ahead. And with more responsibility, you are more likely to make mistakes. So, never be shy to admit that you are imperfect.

 

·         Never repeat mistakes: Avoid repeating mistakes, otherwise you will not be accepted as someone responsible. Don't feel guilty for the mistakes but make a resolution never to repeat them in future. Also, never waste your time in justifying the mistakes. If you've made a mistake, accept it without blaming someone and move on. It makes life a lot easier.

 

·         Don't stop learning: Don't be afraid of learning. Learning from mistakes helps you to develop the resilience to be a master of change rather than a victim. Approach every mistake as a learning experience as they teach you something valuable and helpful for your future success.

 

·         Take risks: Don't be scared of taking risks. If your taking risk is the reason for a mistake, don't retreat into a shell. Statistics say that 70 % of all decisions we make are wrong. So, why fear it when it's in our instincts?

 

·         Apologise properly: If your mistakes harm other people, it is important to apologise. Be clear and reiterate that it will not be repeated. That helps in saving relationships. It also restores the trust people have on you and you can be banked upon. Never shy away from apologies fearing embarrassment. But don't go on apologizing. It's simply irritating. Apologise and move on.

 

source:http://www.mbaclubindia.com/articles/Learning-from-your-mistakes-1491.asp