Why Mistakes are the Key to Progress

I've got a question for you... at any time in your life, have you ever met a perfect person? If you've answered honestly then it should be a resounding no! The truth is - no-one is perfect because if we were there would be no sadness, resentment, nervousness or faults. This, though, creates a paradox - while we strive for but may never reach perfection we can become closer to it through our imperfections.

These days we use the word perfect far too easily - product advertisements are perhaps one of the main abusers - you can have 'perfect skin' or 'the perfect meal' or 'the perfect car'. In reality, most people would not describe themselves or their lives as absolutely perfect. Even the most arrogant among us would not normally suggest they are perfect in every way. So it then follows that if we are not all perfect we must have faults and that those faults and the mistakes which ensue are natural.

If this doesn't make sense then look it this way. The very first time you rode a bike or jumped on a skateboard what happened? Child prodigies excluded, the chances are that you fell off. What did you do next? You tried again but this time your brain analysed what went wrong, made adjustments to your balance and coordination and hey presto, you stayed on. To put it simply, you learned from your mistakes.

We use our mistakes to evolve and educate ourselves. We learn and progress as human beings through trial and error. You will no doubt have heard the phrase 'back to the drawing board' - fundamentally, the main way we fathom how to get something to work is to find out what will prevent it from happening.

A major stumbling block in all this is that the fear of making mistakes can hold us back from chasing down our goals in life. Too many people spend too much time dwelling on the 'what ifs' rather than the potential benefits. This negative way of thinking can become so intense that the negative thoughts cause us to envisage negative outcomes and not positive ones. This is a prohibitive frame of mind and it will prevent you from trying anything new or taking risks. Mistakes are classified as problems instead of learning opportunities.

Whilst taking all this in it is important to remember that mistakes are a good way to learn. Everyone makes them - they're natures' way of getting us to overcome problems. Of course, we are referring here to minor mistakes and not ruinous ones. For example, losing your home to a failed business venture is undoubtedly not something you can laugh off! However, if we lay the extreme examples to one side, a mistake now and again is essential for personal growth and will consequently lead to further success.

Is there a secret to dealing with mistakes? Let's look at the method successful people around the world use. As a rule, the successful person will have an offhand approach towards mistakes. When they are successful they integrate that success into their own distinctiveness. Yet when they make a mistake this is simply taken as a logical by-product of their success. They don't dwell on it but view it as a learning opportunity rather than a testimony of their lives.

If you are beginning your climb to the top and don't yet have any measurable success then you need to do the same and view your mistakes as side-effects of your eventual success. Never give up hope or start to doubt yourself just because you have had to get over a few obstacles along the way.

By evaluating mistakes in this way you will gain in confidence. As your confidence grows you focus more on the positives and less on the negatives. Embrace the reality that you are taking action and being positive. Once you are fully equipped with your new more confident mindset you will lose your apprehensiveness and be more willing to take the risks necessary for success.

Article Source: http://tk4.org

The power of positive thinking can change your life. To find out more visit www.theinnermindset.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated