Learning to Love Mistakes
Consider a non-tangible fear you have. (No, spiders don't count... *shivers*) I bet most would say they fear loneliness, regret, or failure. I'd certainly quote all three, but especially the last.
We, as a society, hate messing up. As a kid, we were punished; as adults, we're admonished. Mistakes are awful, embarrassing, and should be avoided at all costs—right?
Whenever I start a new project, I can't help but consider all the ways I could fail. Yeah, it's not fun. Moreover, it immediately weighs down my creativity. Drumming up new ideas feels like wading through mud; everything is cloaked with the potential of failure.
Lately, I've been working on reframing this perspective instead of attempting to guilt my way out of it. I can't change who I am (and who I am is my UVP), so I've been thinking of ways to reframe this fear into a superpower.
Instead of ignoring this fear, can I muster up as much excitement to fail as I do to succeed? If I've learned anything in my creative life, mistakes should thrill us just as much—if not more!—as accomplishments.
Failures teach us more than wins ever could. Mistakes are temporary stings that hold lifelong lessons. Every time you mess up—if you reflect instead of regret—that's one more thing you know not to do.
Yes, mistakes are inevitable. They're non-negotiable parts of life, especially of a creative one. But don't let mistakes define you; let them teach you. "Fail fast, fail hard, fail often."
This post was written as a part of Ship 30 for 30. Read the original essay on my Twitter.
