So many people get all bent out of shape when they make a mistake. However, the only way to learn is from making mistakes. Somebody has to make them to move things forward for the rest of us. And sometimes it’s us!
The attitude one approaches their mistake with will often impact the ultimate result of the effort.
Your attitude will determine your altitude 100% of the time!
When Thomas Edison was attempting to invent the light bulb, the entire world was plugged in (pun intended). You can imagine the anticipation worldwide of not having to light a fire to be able to illuminate a room. It was well known that Edison had failed 10,000 times in his research. When asked by a reporter how it felt to have failed that many times, Edison replied, “I haven’t failed! I’ve just found 10,000 that won’t work!”
When movies and television shows are being filmed, a lot of mistakes happen. They don’t call them “mistakes”, though. They call them “outtakes”. Typically, they occur when one of the actors flubs a line. Everyone usually cracks up. But what is actually happening in this make believe world of entertainment when outtakes occur? Just like in real life, things aren’t going as planned. Time, energy, emotions and money are “wasted”. Often patience and relationships are tested. Most of the time, people on the set laugh at themselves and the others messing up.
Most movies and TV shows have a “wrap party” after production is over. A “blooper reel” is produced and shown which everybody laughs at and thoroughly enjoys reliving the process they went through creating the finished product. (See an example linked below.) What if we made the conscious choice on purpose, with a purpose, to see our mistakes as simply “missed takes” or “outtakes”? If you think about your past blunders, you probably laugh at most of them now in retrospect, don’t you. So, why not start enjoying them sooner rather than later?
When you laugh at them and yourself, mistakes seem to lose some of their power over one’s soul. You may even make less of them because you’re not so worried about them.
That would be a lesson well earned and learned.
Brooklyn Nine Nine Blooper Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxeaCPHOImw