How Do You Describe a Mistake
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A few weeks ago, I signed up to receive an inspirational quote in my email, every day. There are so many amazing quotes out there that we can learn from! And one of them really got me thinking about mistakes. Not just mistakes, but what we do after we make one.
Is a mistake a blunder? A mix-up? An accident? Is it bad judgment, or maybe disregard for a rule? I think it can be all these things. We’ve all been there….but what do you do next?
Mistakes are interesting – Everyone makes them, but no one is exactly “proud” of them. Whether it’s small like spilling a glass of water, or big, like saying something unforgivable to someone. Last time I checked no one’s perfect. We need mistakes to happen in our lives. For example, if everyone was perfect and didn’t make any mistakes then we wouldn’t get to improve on things that are important to us. And that would also mean no one would get the chance to work hard and feel great about an accomplishment!
Many of us know the famous story about how it took Thomas Edison 1,000 times to perfect the lightbulb; Edison is often quoted as saying “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps”. What would life today be like if great people like him didn’t keep on trying? We’ve all been there – Trying hard to complete a task and nothing seems to work. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t do it. It just means there’s another way to do it and it’s up to you to try and find it!
As you work through obstacles and work hard to move past mistakes, big or small, I hope you remember to feel proud of yourself. We can’t allow ourselves to feel bad when something doesn’t go our way. Try looking at your mistakes as another way to learn how you can improve on your social skills, your manners, your work ethic. Try looking at them with a sense of humor!
Not long ago, I went to our local high school track to get some exercise. I normally walk to the track, but this time, I drove there and parked my car. Would you believe I walked all halfway home and only when I felt the car keys in my pocket did remember that I had driven there and left my car in the parking lot!! As I was walking back to the track to retrieve my care, I called my mom and told her what had happened. We were both laughing about me taking two walks in one day.
Sure, making mistakes can be embarrassing, but they are also proof that we’re trying!
“If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t make anything”
Joseph Conrad, novelist, and short-story writer
That’s all I have for today, until next time 😉