We all know too many people who are afraid of making mistakes because doing so makes them feel horrible about themselves. But the truth is, mistakes can be like gifts. Any successful person can tell you that without the mistakes they made on their journey, they wouldn’t be where they are today. Here are 10 reasons why you should be proud of making mistakes.
1. Mistakes help us gain knowledge.
We can gain so much knowledge from our mistakes, and all it takes is the willingness to learn from them. We get to know what works and what doesn’t from each error we come across. Without mistakes, we lose countless opportunities to gain valuable knowledge and learn lessons.
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2. Mistakes trigger our creativity.
When what we are attempting is not working, we look for a new solution, which enables us to think outside the box. Without mistakes, we lose chances of experiencing the creative side of ourselves.
“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.” —William Connor Magee
3. Mistakes help us learn to be resilient.
We get to understand that adversity is needed to overcome challenges in life. We know then that being flexible is important, as we can’t move forward if we stay in the same place. Without making mistakes, we would stay in our comfort zone, which leads us to inflexibility when things don’t work the way we want them to.
“The more we can embrace failure, the more we will be able to open to it and the more confident and resilient we will become.” —Karen Kimsey-House
4. Mistakes teach us about humanity.
Mistakes teach us the importance of staying humble. We learn that we are only human and that mistakes are inevitable. We also learn that humility is what make us beautiful.
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5. Mistakes provide us references.
We obtain references each time we try different approaches as we attempt to achieve our goals. We become better each time we try something new. We wouldn’t gain those references if we didn’t make mistakes.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” —Thomas Edison
6. Mistakes help us obtain new ideas.
Making mistakes is one of the most effective ways to gain new ideas. Our mistakes force us to push limits and find new things that inspire us.
“The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas” —Albert Einstein
7. Mistakes give us courage.
We become a stronger person each time we acknowledge our mistakes and move on to do better next time. We come to understand that being brave is all about admitting to our faults and growing from them.
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” —Bruce Lee
8. Mistakes make us wiser.
We learn to appreciate those who have helped us, and learn to deal with the people who have done us wrong. We learn to be wiser each time we make a mistake, because we get to see a different side of the people we thought we knew. Without making mistakes, we would not get to see the different sides of those we deal with.
“Some people come into your life as blessings. Some come into your life as lessons.” —Mother Teresa
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9. Mistakes teach us how to experiment.
We are experimenting each time we try a new approach to creating something. We often create amazing things when we innovate, be it a product or something personal. But innovation comes from experimenting, which often leads to making mistakes. Without those mistakes, we wouldn’t be able to innovate, and create better things. We would also not be able to become a better person without knowing what we did wrong.
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes, It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” —Steve Jobs
10. Mistakes help us to better understand ourselves.
Mistakes helps us understand that our biggest enemy can be ourselves. We learn to reflect on our own mistakes. By overcoming our shortcomings, we become stronger people as we come to know our own strengths and weaknesses. It wouldn’t be as easy for us to understand ourselves without the mistakes we have made.
“In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” —Warren Buffett
