Making mistakes is a guarantee in life. You can’t avoid them entirely, no matter what you do. In fact, learning from failure is often the key to success. What matters more than any blunder or its magnitude is your response afterward. Sara Blakely, Founder and CEO of Spanx, explains why mistakes can be excellent learning opportunities.
What are mistakes and why are they associated with failure?
A mistake is an error in judgment, misunderstanding, or misguided action
- Failure is an inability to meet expectations
- Both mistakes and failure are great learning experiences
- What matters most is what we take away from our mistakes and how we learn not to make them again
Why is it important to see mistakes as learning experiences?
Life is hard, but with the lows come the highs, and your situation will get better
- Inspirational Quotes
- “Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more of who you are.”
- Oprah Winfrey
Acknowledge mistakes
The first step to achieving growth is admitting when you’ve done wrong
- Honesty and ownership are acts of courage
- People will remember your bravery and grace over your accidents or clumsiness
- Think of the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and reflect on it
Review your progress
Schedule a time to evaluate yourself or ask a trusted family member or friend to act as an accountability partner
Reframe and analyze the mistake
What was I trying to do? What went wrong? When did it go wrong? Why did it happen?
Remember that we can’t avoid making mistakes
Change leads to unfamiliar territory, and with unfamiliar territory comes mistakes.
Being compassionate toward oneself after making a mistake
How you see yourself and view your actions is a significant aspect of handling any errors you make
- Showing compassion toward yourself does wonders for your self-esteem
- BetterUp is here to help you find the transformative power within yourself to do so
Ask yourself the hard questions
You can’t take steps to change things if you don’t know what you did
Put the lessons you’ve learned into practice
Practice makes perfect. The more frequently you train your mind and body to think and react in a certain way, the quicker the improvement.
- Eventually, you’ll have to take action to ensure you grow as a person. Take what you’ve learned from your mistake and adjust accordingly
