HOW TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES?
Have you ever made a huge mistake? You know what I mean, right? It’s one of those mistakes that you’ll never forget and always regret. It’s something you wish had never happened that you would just love to do-over again. But what’s done, is done. There is no going back. But just maybe there is some value to be found here. Just maybe, you can use this mistake to help you move forward in a better way. Mistakes are after all a part of life. They are part of making progress through life. As long as we learn from each mistake we make, we can then use that experience as a platform to make better choices. Here are six steps that can help you do just that.
1) IDENTIFY WHAT WENT WRONG
Oops, you just made a mistake. What now? Well you can choose to either ignore the mistake, or you can admit what you did and figure out what went wrong. You can also of course admit to it and then make every excuse under the sun why this mistake wasn’t your fault. But what good will that do? Making excuses just shows that you have no control over the situation. And with no control you won’t be able to make things any better. I assume you want to make things better, right? In that case, own up to your mistake and take responsibility for your predicament. Things might not have turned out as you had expected, but there could still yet be some value in this situation.
2) SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Yes, you made a mistake, but maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem. Just maybe, there is something of value to take away from this experience. However, in order to find that value, you need to first shift how you’re viewing this situation. The best way to do this is to challenge yourself to see your mistake in a more optimal way. For instance, you could ask yourself how making this mistake might be helpful. There could also be an opportunity here to do something, or at the very least to learn something. What could that opportunity be? Think long and hard and don’t stop until you find something of value.
3) LEARN SOMETHING
Now that you are in a more receptive and resourceful state-of-mind, it’s time to learn everything you can from this experience. Take a moment to reflect upon the mistake you made. Think through exactly how things unfolded and how you responded. Consider the decisions you made the led up to this mistake. Take into account your state-of-mind and what motivated you to make certain choices that resulted in this outcome. Think long and hard about what else you could have potentially done and how things might have unfolded. Then consider the lessons you can take away from this experience. What value is there in these lessons?
4) OUTLINE YOUR NEXT STEPS
Having learned some valuable lessons within the previous step, it’s now time to take those lessons and turn them into practical action. Yes, I realize the mistake has already been made, however that doesn’t mean that you can’t potentially improve the situation or make amends for what happened. You hold the power to do something, and it all begins with figuring out your best course of action moving forward. Specifically outline your next steps. What’s the next action you could take to improve things? Or, what could you do differently the next time around? If you get stuck, then consider what other people might do in your situation.
5) ACQUIRE SKILLS AND RESOURCES
Having outlined your next steps, you’ve possibly identified some areas for improvement. You might for instance not have the necessary knowledge, skills or resources to take those next steps. If that’s the case, then it’s time to acquire anything that can help you move forward in a better way. Think about what you might need to know or learn. Also consider the skills you may need to develop, the resources to acquire, or the support that might be of value. In order to avoid making the same mistake again, you need to upgrade certain aspects of yourself. With these upgrades in place, you will then be better prepared to give this another shot.
6) FUTURE-PROOF YOUR MISTAKES
As a member of the human species you are given the permission to make mistakes. However, making mistakes isn’t always fun, can be emotionally taxing, and often slows us down. It can therefore be helpful to minimize the mistakes we make. With that in mind, you need to spend time future proofing your goof. In other words, prepare yourself for future mistakes in advance. One way to do this is by improving your ability to solve problems, to think objectively, critically and creatively. Another way to do this is to learn from other people’s mistakes. Read books or speak with people directly. Learn about how they goofed up, then avoid those same blunders.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Yes, we all make mistakes. Mistakes are a part of life. They are a part of making progress, right? In fact, the human species is where it is today because of all the mistakes we have made over the centuries. We didn’t understanding something, and so we tried new things, goofed things up, then learned from our experience and made adjustments moving forward. We made mistakes time and again, but because we took the time to learn from them, we eventually made breakthroughs, which of course turned into progress.
You, as an individual can do the same in your own life. However, in order to make real progress, it’s important to remember that you are not your mistakes. Mistakes are not a part of you. You make mistakes, and therefore you can also unmake them. As long as you learn from every experience and are willing to adapt and change your course of action, then you too will consistently make progress.
Imagine for a moment you could develop new habits and methods of thinking where you naturally and effortlessly adopt these ideas into your life. How would that make you feel? Would you feel more fulfilled, empowered and in control?
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