Making Mistakes
April 26 - This Week's Quote:
“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” – Yolanda Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, American poet (b.1943)
This is a great quote submitted by my sister, Pam Boushell. Actually it’s my sister who inspired me to begin asking my subscribers to submit their favorite quotes. I use them in this Podcast as well as in my monthly ezine, “Create a Happy ‘Tude.” And I’d love to hear from you. Just send an email your favorite quote to me at becky@spiritualcoachingcenter.com.
Now, back to Nikki Giovanni’s wisdom “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.”
I’ve heard the same concept stated different ways from many sources, saying basically, it’s not so much what happens to us in life, and it’s how we react to what happens that makes all the difference.
Simply put, “life” happens. Mistakes happen – or at least, things that may seem like a “mistake” at the time.
But what is a mistake anyway? The definition from Answers.com that I like the best is this: a mistake is “a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention.”
How many of us have NOT done something that, had we known better, we would not have done it. Or maybe we DID know better, but we did it anyway? I know I have!
And how many times have we made errors just because we were not paying attention?
In my years teaching piano, working with beginner students, I call mistakes “oop’s.” If they’re playing along and miss a note or a rhythm, I just say, “oops” and we go back and re-look at that spot. Now if they’re playing through the piece and keep making “oop’s” then we stop and regroup and try a different approach.
And it’s the same with life. If we treat our mistakes as little life “oop’s” it helps lighten up a bit and not judge ourselves too harshly. It helps us step back, acknowledge what happened, make any amends that might be needed, and then try a different method of doing whatever you were trying to do.
I’ve known people who were so afraid of making a mistake that they were frozen and could not do anything, or they just simply refused to even try. I’ve had students who, if they didn’t get it right the first time, they’d pout or cry or give up – or all 3!
To me, a mistake means you’re one step closer to getting it right. And as soon as you get through all the ways that don’t work, you’ll find the one that does! Albert Einstein knew this too. He is quoted to have said something like, “I try and try 99 times, the 100th time, I am right.” And I’m sure all the successful inventors, artists, writers, business entrepreneurs, anyone who has achieved anything at all, have thought or felt that same way too.
So, in essence, the only real mistake is giving up too soon, which gets us to the second part of the quote, “it’s the response to error that counts.”
What’s your response when you make a mistake?
Do you judge yourself and tell yourself how stupid or foolish you were? Do you pile on the guilt and punish yourself with “should,” “shouldn’t haves,” or “if onlys?”
Or do you examine the situation to understand what went wrong and learn from it?
And here’s the kicker…..what if it’s someone else who makes the mistake? Do you treat them the same way you treat yourself?
Notice this week, how do you respond to the mistakes you make. How do you respond to the mistakes that other people make? Or that your children make? How are you teaching your children to handle their mistakes?
Mistakes happen. We’re human! It’s inevitable. It’s how we learn. It’s called life. What makes the difference is how we respond to our mistakes and the mistakes of others. How will you respond this week?
Blessings!
Becky
“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” – Yolanda Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, American poet (b.1943)
Played: 22 | Download | Duration: 00:05:08
This is a great quote submitted by my sister, Pam Boushell. Actually it’s my sister who inspired me to begin asking my subscribers to submit their favorite quotes. I use them in this Podcast as well as in my monthly ezine, “Create a Happy ‘Tude.” And I’d love to hear from you. Just send an email your favorite quote to me at becky@spiritualcoachingcenter.com.
Now, back to Nikki Giovanni’s wisdom “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.”
I’ve heard the same concept stated different ways from many sources, saying basically, it’s not so much what happens to us in life, and it’s how we react to what happens that makes all the difference.
Simply put, “life” happens. Mistakes happen – or at least, things that may seem like a “mistake” at the time.
But what is a mistake anyway? The definition from Answers.com that I like the best is this: a mistake is “a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention.”
How many of us have NOT done something that, had we known better, we would not have done it. Or maybe we DID know better, but we did it anyway? I know I have!
And how many times have we made errors just because we were not paying attention?
In my years teaching piano, working with beginner students, I call mistakes “oop’s.” If they’re playing along and miss a note or a rhythm, I just say, “oops” and we go back and re-look at that spot. Now if they’re playing through the piece and keep making “oop’s” then we stop and regroup and try a different approach.
And it’s the same with life. If we treat our mistakes as little life “oop’s” it helps lighten up a bit and not judge ourselves too harshly. It helps us step back, acknowledge what happened, make any amends that might be needed, and then try a different method of doing whatever you were trying to do.
I’ve known people who were so afraid of making a mistake that they were frozen and could not do anything, or they just simply refused to even try. I’ve had students who, if they didn’t get it right the first time, they’d pout or cry or give up – or all 3!
To me, a mistake means you’re one step closer to getting it right. And as soon as you get through all the ways that don’t work, you’ll find the one that does! Albert Einstein knew this too. He is quoted to have said something like, “I try and try 99 times, the 100th time, I am right.” And I’m sure all the successful inventors, artists, writers, business entrepreneurs, anyone who has achieved anything at all, have thought or felt that same way too.
So, in essence, the only real mistake is giving up too soon, which gets us to the second part of the quote, “it’s the response to error that counts.”
What’s your response when you make a mistake?
Do you judge yourself and tell yourself how stupid or foolish you were? Do you pile on the guilt and punish yourself with “should,” “shouldn’t haves,” or “if onlys?”
Or do you examine the situation to understand what went wrong and learn from it?
And here’s the kicker…..what if it’s someone else who makes the mistake? Do you treat them the same way you treat yourself?
Notice this week, how do you respond to the mistakes you make. How do you respond to the mistakes that other people make? Or that your children make? How are you teaching your children to handle their mistakes?
Mistakes happen. We’re human! It’s inevitable. It’s how we learn. It’s called life. What makes the difference is how we respond to our mistakes and the mistakes of others. How will you respond this week?
Blessings!
Becky
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