The Power of Mistakes

Photo by Varvara Grabova on Unsplash

To make a mistake

Is to walk a path of learning

Blessed be its lesson

Living a life as a “learner” is to walk a path of twists and turns, taking in the various and changing views on a daily basis. Sometimes we think we have the journey completely mapped out, only to find a hazard sign in our way asking us to take a different route. It is when we encounter these speed bumps that we can realize our ability to be nimble, make the appropriate adjustment and still get to our desired destination. Perhaps it’s on a different time table, but nonetheless, we still end up where we were originally headed.

So many of us are perfectionists by trade. We work very carefully to craft our desired outcome, ensuring there are minimal flaws in our masterpiece. In fact, we are conditioned to avoid mistakes at an early age. There is a protocol in the various institutions we find ourselves holding court to, and as such, we are to abide by the rules and expectations. After all, so many of these institutions have a rich history of experience, so why wouldn’t the path that is laid out for us not be the key to success?

If we were to shift our perspective and actually challenge ourselves to make mistakes (on a variety of fronts), what would be the key takeaways? Odds are, they would be too numerous to take inventory of. But one thing is for certain — we would feel a greater ease and lightness of being. For the world of expectations would begin to dissipate, while the world of possibilities would begin to emerge