Demystifying mistakes

WHEN mistakes are made those who are responsible for making them are usually vilified or treated less than humane.

Unfortunately through learnt behaviour, making a mistake is viewed so terribly that in some instances the self-esteem and self-confidence of those so affected are negatively impacted.

I think that the fast-paced environment within which we now co-exist provides a unique opportunity for us to begin the process of unlearning such thinking. Start by removing the word “mistake” from your vocabulary and instead view every single situation and experience in your life, as an opportunity to learn and grow and to also expand and transform your mind.

Viewing an occurrence as a mistake limits your mind’s perspective in terms of what should or shouldn’t be.

If the outcomes of a particular situation are different from the original expectations, that should not be branded as a mistake but rather, new inventions and new direction.

Continuing to be fearful about making mistakes is a recipe for a tunnelled vision approach to life; it is sad to see the large numbers of people who are living in fear of making mistakes, attempting to sidestep them and even concealing them if and when they do occur.

We need to unwire our minds and welcome missteps as natural, high-yielding and dynamic game-changers.

Mistakes are critical to transformation, as they emphasize the fallibility of humankind…meaning that we are not perfect.

Understanding this puts us at a great advantage of better utilising our missteps to advance rather than deter our success.

Mistakes provide tons of new learning curves….and sometimes, it takes a major incident to shift paradigm; for example, you may have been practising a particular routine for decades, and perhaps a major injury may be the shift for that much needed change with the times.

Healthy mindfulness also arises out of mistakes, as research has shown that empathetic acceptance of our own mistakes influences our determination and commitment to move forward successfully; you also become less risk-averse and less fearful. When you think you have failed by the counter-intuitive outcomes of your intended actions, it’s sometimes new challenges that are being offered to boost your motivation towards achieving your goals.

Missteps shift us from a mindset of improvement to one of expansion, as this is the only medium through which you would be able to see the bigger picture; it’s really about embracing a larger perspective of living, self-actualisation and self-fulfilment which point us towards a direction of succumbing to our loss, re-engineering our vision and then continuing to move forward. Remember we are human and not perfect.

Use your mistakes as a stepping stone to improve, succeed and excel.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and President of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@ gmail.com or intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or contact 283-0318.