The obituary editor of a city newspaper was not one who would admit his mistakes easily. One day, he got a phone call from an irate subscriber who complained that her name just appeared in the obituary column. "Really?" was the calm reply. "Where are you calling from?"
There is no shame in making mistakes. They are an important and necessary part of learning.
A young man came in for an interview with his manager. "Tell me," the young man asked her, "how did you become so successful?"
"Two words," she said.
"And what are they?"
"Right decisions."
He asked, "How did you make right decisions?"
"One word -- experience."
"And how did you get experience?"
"Two words," she said.
"And what are they?"
"Wrong decisions."
In order to profit from our mistakes, we have to get out and make some. And so long as we keep making different ones each time, we're learning and growing!
Are you feeling badly about a mistake you recently made? Then decide what you will do differently next time, make amends if necessary, forgive yourself and move on.
Are you afraid of taking a necessary risk for fear of making a mistake? Remember, even poor choices can be marvelous opportunities for learning. For it is through those wrong decisions that we will learn to make right decisions.
So make those mistakes. Make them boldly! In the end, they will make you better. And if you make enough, you'll become the best you can be!
