Own Your Mistakes, but Don’t Let Them Own You
“Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you.” – Elisha Goldstein
Making mistakes is a part of life. But the way we respond and manage our behaviors and emotions when we make mistakes is the focus of our topic this week. By learning from mistakes, we can follow the advice of Elisha Goldstein in the quote above, to let our mistakes guide us rather than define us.
It can be hard sometimes, but once we realize that our past mistakes do not define our future, that’s when we can make good choices to get our power back. Admitting a mistake is not an act of self-shaming; it’s an act of empowerment! By accepting our mistakes and taking responsibility for them, we give ourselves the opportunity to gain greater strength and confidence in our ability to improve our response the next time we face a challenge. We also set a good example for those around us that we all make mistakes and that we can learn from them.
So here are five tools, inspired by this MindTools article, for learning from mistakes:
OWN IT. Admitting you made a mistake takes a lot of courage. Sharing that you made a mistake normalizes it. If you need to make amends, make an apology!
REFRAME IT. Reframe a mistake as a learning opportunity. There are lessons in every mistake.
HAVE A GROWTH MINDSET. Having a growth mindset allows you to see your mistakes as an opportunity for growth. You’re “a perfectly imperfect perpetual work in progress.”
ANALYZE IT. Explore your mistakes. Consider: What was I trying to do? What went wrong? When did it go wrong? Why did it go wrong?
TURN LESSONS INTO PRACTICE. As we learn from our mistakes, we can build new habits, one micro-goal at a time, which will lead to new practices.
Remember that perfection is an unattainable goal, and making a mistake just means that you’re human. It does not diminish you in the eyes of others, but your response to it can actually raise their impression of you as honest and open. So, instead of self-criticizing, shifting blame, or ignoring your mistakes, take responsibility, and unleash your power to become a better YOU. Those mistakes may even lead you down a better path that you had never considered before.