MISTAKES ARE GOOD. MAKE ONE TODAY!

Hehehehe...I got your attention, didn't I? Of course I did. However, I must inform you that the intent of today's topic is not to merely get your attention like those other attention-grabbing headlines you see on other blogs or newspapers.

This should get your attention because of the inherent paradox but going further, you realise that your attention is being drawn to the truth. The topical assertion above is nothing short of the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  

What are mistakes then, you may wonder? A mistake is simply an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. It is an error or fault resulting in defective judgment, deficient knowledge or carelessness.  

From the above definition, I must issue out a disclaimer; mistakes are only good for people who DECIDE to make it good for them. The conscious choice or decision to move forward as a much wiser person in that specific erroneous regard is what makes all the difference.

In other words, I'm talking of those who don't just stay focused on the immediate consequences of their mistakes but focus on the useful lessons learned which hold the key to achieving the desired results after subsequent tries.

Take for instance Thomas Alva Edison, the American inventor. After several failed attempts at inventing the electric light bulb, he was asked what he thought about his failure to create a light bulb, he said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." He went on to create the electric light bulb.  

Mistakes are a very necessary part of an active existence. A person who has never made a mistake has never done anything and has never learned anything. For this reason, you should never be shy or scared about making a mistake. A friend of mine once told me, "You never lose money; you buy lessons." Lessons learned from mistakes that costs you something dear are those that stick.  

Every mistake should be a voyage of discovery. Mistakes can be embarrassing but its better to suffer the embarrassment that comes from mistakes than suffer the consequence of sustained ignorance borne out of the fear of making mistakes.  

You must configure your mind-set to shed all fear of mistakes, though costly they may be. Never let the fear of making a mistake keep you from taking that step. Do your homework, venture into that which you seek to do and take lessons from whatever mistakes you make and venture into it again and again(persistence is key), armed with the experience and knowledge gathered from previous mistakes.  

There's nothing you can't do if you set your heart to it. Just appreciate your mistakes for what they are; learning the hard way and most times, learning the hard way is the best way. So go ahead and make that mistake...and be sure to learn from it! :)

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Photo Credits: The Simpsons