Tuesday, January 7, 1997

Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. They’re nothing to be ashamed of. The only people who don’t make mistakes are those who don’t try to do anything. Being wrong is perfectly normal and routine.

The best thing to do when you make a mistake is to admit it -- to yourself and to everyone else involved. Deal with it quickly and move on. Mistakes are excellent teachers, and to learn from mistakes you must first admit them. Clinging to a mistaken position will never make you right, and will just waste your time and energy. Mistakes are not good or bad, they’re simply steps on the path to success.

Discovering that something DOESN’T work is just as valuable as discovering something that does work. So mistakes are actually very positive. The key is to learn from them, so you don’t repeat them.

Thomas Edison tried thousands of ways to construct the electric light bulb before he finally got it right. Successful people in any field are not necessarily the best and the brightest. They’re the ones with the most commitment -- the ones who pick themselves up after every mistake and try again.

Use your mistakes for all they’re worth. Keep trying, keep going, and do whatever it takes to get where you want to be.

— Ralph Marston

Possibilities       What do you expect?

Copyright ©1997 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.