Warming Up to Mistakes

This weekend was absolutely frigid. Yes, yes, the weather... Though it would also seem that people’s outlook on the New Year is a bit frigid.

Why is that? We have a brand new year in front of us. Plenty of time to prove what we’ve learned in the previous years. Plenty of time to make new mistakes!

After all, what’s wrong with a few good mistakes?

Generally we have a great time making the mistakes to begin with. More often than not we don’t even realize we’re making a mistake; who on Earth would continue forward knowing their heading for a blunder…well, now that’s another post altogether.

People tend to do what they want and say what they want because they believe it is the best option at the time. Perhaps not a very well thought out plan or worse, not planned at all. You can’t really blame people for their immediate reactions because they believed it was right for them. This does not mean, however, that they will continue to support their own action…which then of course means they believe they made a mistake.

This is where the truly honest people and the never-are-wrong people divide. Those who are truly honest are willing to admit to their mistake. Even more exciting, some will even truly be sorry for it! (Sorry in the sense that they didn’t mean to do it, and have no intentions of ever doing it again.)

The never-are-wrongs will never admit to their mistake willingly. We’ve all known and experienced these people. You can’t tell them anything, nor help them with anything. For them, the best option it to let them continue on their current path. The only way they learn is by learning the hard way. So let them; just get out of the way…and sever yourself enough from them as to not be around for blame when their world tumbles around them.

Admitting you made a mistake is only half the battle though. What makes a good mistake is learning from your experience. Don’t make those mistakes in vain! Have a good time making them, but then learn how to not make them again. If you don’t learn you’ll just keeping making those same mistakes…and then you’re just insane (Thought for the day…).

So as we venture forth into the year, let us remember two things:

1. Have fun making those mistakes
2. Learn a lesson from those mistakes

I believe that so long as we can keep those two things in mind, we will have no reason to look at the upcoming year with frigid outlook.