A mong the many subjects I am more than qualified to speak
about is “Mistakes and Failures.” My father advised me at
an early age to learn from the mistakes of others because I
might not live long enough to make all of them myself. I’ve
tried to heed his warning. However, it seems that despite my
attempts not to repeat the mistakes of others, I have been creative enough
to make many mistakes of my own. I noticed early on that one of the most
dangerous phrases in the English language is “This time it will be different.”
Unfortunately, history does repeat itself. It’s not surprising that when you
keep doing what you have always done, different results don’t seem to
happen.
Often, my mistakes have occurred because I either felt when I should have
thought, or I thought when I should have felt. I also believe that the only
people who never make a mistake are those who never strive to accomplish
something. Fortunately, each failure usually brings enlightenment and
knowledge. An education gained in this manner can be very expensive, but
the lessons learned will last, since failure seems to be the very best teacher.
As Thomas Edison said as he once again tried to make a workable light bulb,
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
I believe that mistakes and failures are an essential part of my learning
process. If you are one who believes that you have never made a mistake or
failed, that is probably your biggest mistake. Failure is never final, unless
you never try again. It does not matter how many times you get knocked
down, as long as you keep getting up.
I see both mistakes and failures as inevitable. I attempt to learn from
them, even if what I learn turns out to be wrong. It is not always easy to see
the cause of a failure, but ultimately, I am able to find the solutions I seek.
What you have to hope for is that what you have been trying to achieve is
really what you want. Sometimes we pursue things that look attractive to
us until we get them, only to realize that they were really just illusions. Such
pursuits can be some of the biggest mistakes of all.
For many of us, finding what is truly important is one of life’s hardest
lessons. Each of us has his or her own definition of success, but many of us
never realize that wanting what we have may be more important than having
what we want. That is one of the lessons I learned when I mistakenly believed
that things would bring me happiness, only to discover that happiness came
from within myself and not from successfully pursuing a variety of goals
and possessions that ultimately were meaningless.
I have found that it is never a mistake to do what my heart tells me is the
right thing to do. I don’t always succeed, but I always try to do my best. I
realize that sometimes my best isn’t good enough and that I am not going
to win or accomplish what I’m attempting to do. If I fail, I can either stop
trying, or try something new. Knowing which to do is difficult. Yet those are
the choices. So if at first you don’t succeed, try again. You may get lucky.
I’m not myself today and everybody has noticed the improvement 89