OK, so it didn’t go according to plan.  You tried, but it didn’t work.

Let me encourage you that it’s not a necessarily a mistake yet.

It could be a helpful learning experience if you:

  • Unearth something new from the event.
  • Keep taking risks and trying new things.
  • Gain a cautionary tale that you can use to teach others.
  • Take responsibility for what went wrong, resisting the temptation to blame those around you.
  • Build your resilience.
  • Didn’t cause any permanent harm.
  • Apologised to those negatively impacted.
  • Maintained a healthy self-esteem.
  • Can still laugh at yourself when you do something genuinely stupid.
  • Aren’t afraid of putting yourself in situations where new learning experiences are inevitable.
  • Don’t do it again!

Sophia Loren once said, “Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”

I would add that learning experiences are part of the benefits of a full life!

If we view experiences that go wrong as mistakes, we become risk averse and stop trying new things.

However, we could all do with more learning experiences.

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