Mistakes — and we all make them!
June 12 2008 by Karen.
Mistakes are the springboards of accomplishment. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had as much foresight as hindsight and were able to avoid ever making a mistake? Not only is that unrealistic, it’s unwise. Out of mistakes come major accomplishments because mistakes are often the springboard for accomplishment.
Once Thomas Edison was working with a lab assistant who was coming up dry after over 700 experiments. In discouragement he told Mr. Edison that after all these mistakes, errors and false starts, he simply did not believe the project was valid. Mr. Edison quickly told him that he was not wasting his time and that he now knew more about the project than anybody alive. Edison wisely observed that he had not made “mistakes” but had acquired an “education” as to what would not work. Needless to say, the assistant went back to his project with renewed vigor.
It’s safe to say that if each of us took that approach to life we would end up accomplishing much, much more. After every mistake we need to understand that we can look back and learn so that we can move forward with confidence and avoid making the same mistake again. Let’s look at three tips on how to handle a mistake - either at home or at the office.
First, don’t let it depress or discourage you. See a mistake as a step on the road to a solution. We must realize that depression and discouragement are negatives that limit the future. Second, admit the mistake - I’ll admit that takes courage, but recognition of errors is a sign of maturity. Not to recognize them is to deny them. The reality is that “denial” is more than just a river in Egypt - it’s something that will limit your future. Third, understand that when we confront our mistakes we are taking full advantage of them as the “positives” they are. Only when you ignore mistakes are they negative.
Source: Zig Ziglar Newsletter