Why There Are Mistakes You Need to Make

The good news is that they’re unavoidable

A big part of the human experience is learning from mistakes. Most of the time, all we need to avoid pitfalls is to learn through the mistakes of others.

Occasionally though, there are mistakes we need to make ourselves.

And, they are absolutely unavoidable even if they are obvious.

Sometimes, we need to do “foolish” things even when others tell us to do the opposite.

And our foolishness can be entirely rational.

Allow me to explain.

We Shouldn’t Blindly Trust Others

Sometimes, it’s good to try things that others say don’t work. And often, the only thing you risk is wasting time and energy. You risk being wrong and that whatever you try won’t work.

It’s not a big deal.

Having the experience, confidence and courage to act on what you believe in is an enormous asset. It beats unconditionally accepting what others tell us.

It can seem stubborn but it’s not stupid. It’s a process of testing the boundaries. It’s challenging the status quo. It’s redefining the process.

It’s also fact checking.

When we try things that others say don’t work, we are checking that our perception of reality is true. We don’t just accept other people’s narrative of reality as being factual.

It’s a small cost to be wrong for a moment. It’s a much better outcome than being wrong for a lifetime.

Our Abilities Change Over Time

One of the methods people use to keep elephants captive is training them from a young age. They subdue them with ropes tied to a post. After a while, the young elephants give up. They learn to accept that they can’t break free from rope. So, they stop trying even when they reach full size and are more than capable of breaking free.

When we test what other people tell us doesn’t work, it’s possible that something has changed. Maybe we’ve put in more practice, conducted more research or improved our abilities to do things.

With our newly acquired knowledge and skills, it’s possible we can take on what we failed to accomplish in the past.

Sometimes, the gains from challenging the obvious are so great that we can’t ignore them.

Where would we be if we accepted that we couldn’t travel faster than we could run? We certainly wouldn’t be flying around the world or driving cars.

Sometimes You Won’t Understand Until It’s Too Late

There is a limit to how much you can understand and learn from someone else. Especially, when it relates to something you have never experienced yourself.

No matter how much someone emphasizes the importance of their guidance, you won’t understand the true extent or seriousness of it.

Well, until it’s too late, that is!

You might find yourself going against their guidance and suffering the immediate consequences. But that’s the only time when you truly understand what they meant.

Sometimes the lesson is only learned after you make the mistake. And the guidance only serves to help you recognize when you make it.

Nobody Knows What They Don’t Know

It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment and think you know everything already. Sometimes, we see the world as black and white when it’s really different shades of grey.

The truth is usually somewhere between the extremes.

So called “facts” that other people tell you can stem from a combination of different things. It could be their professional or unprofessional opinion. It could be based on unique and isolated experiences. Or it could simply be a reflection of someone’s inability to succeed and their failure makes them believe it isn’t possible for anyone else.

Often, we have to try things out for ourselves to discover if it’s possible for us.

Growing up, we are given countless warnings. Some true, some false. At some point, our curiosity kicks in and we want to know what would really happen if we went against the guidance. Is it really as impossible or detrimental to our success if we try the opposite?

Can you imagine how many people quit chasing their dreams because they were told it was too competitive and impossible to succeed?

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make Is Fortunately One You Can Avoid

The avoidance of failure and the fear of making mistakes can paralyze you.

Failure and making mistakes are part of the journey. They are the not-so-awesome experiences that make your eventual success all that much sweeter.

What you should really want to avoid is making mistakes that are irreversible.

Mistakes or failures that can ruin you should be avoided at all costs.

But small mistakes, small failures are absolutely necessary for progress. They are there to guide you. They highlight your inadequacies so that you can improve. They are feedback mechanisms that help you get more out of your efforts.

You can’t go through life heeding every warning you receive.

If you do, you would end up doing nothing at all.

The biggest mistake you can make is not making any at all.

So don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to try and don’t be afraid to dream.

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