“The greatest teacher failure is..”
Yoda
If I could identify one lesson from college that was the most valuable, it would be my professors’ requirement that we must identify the sources of error in every lab experiment. To recognize, through observation of the individual steps in an analysis, where there was the potential for an error that affected the eventual outcome of the experiment. Whether you obtained the correct answer or not. In every analysis we performed, there was always the potential for making a mistake in our preparation, observations, and calculations, each of which could give us the wrong answer.
Fast forward to today, how does this concept apply in your world? If you apply an analytical approach to identifying sources of error when you get a wrong answer or make a mistake, it helps take the emotion out of the picture, allowing you to see it as a learning opportunity, encouraging you to identify and benefit from your mistakes in the future.
I encourage you to consider the benefits of getting the wrong answer. Here are a few:
Mistakes help us to identify what we don’t know. This can be a good thing because it allows us to redirect our learning and to focus on the areas where we need the most improvement.
Mistakes can encourage us to think about how much effort we invested in learning the material. When we are trying to understand why we got the wrong answer, we are forced to think more deeply, develop a greater understanding of the concepts, versus simply rote memorization.
Mistakes can help us become more resilient. When we make mistakes, it is important to learn from them and keep moving forward, which is an important skill for success in all areas of life.
And, mistakes can help us to be more creative. When we are not afraid to make mistakes, we are more likely to try new things and to come up with new ideas. A valuable skill that is beneficial throughout our lives.
How to we begin to learn from our mistakes?
To begin with, don’t beat yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes. It is important to forgive yourself and to move on.
Then try to identify and acknowledge the mistake you made. What was the root cause of the mistake? Once you understand the root cause, you can take steps to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Finally, learn from your mistake. What can you do differently next time? Think about how you can apply what you have learned to improve your performance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling to understand a concept or to solve a problem, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take my advice, if you ask someone for help, be prepared to listen with and open mind and not get defensive. There is always someone wiser than you or me whose instruction is valuable.
By following these three tips, you can turn your mistakes into learning opportunities and become the best version of yourself.
Commentary
As I have gotten older, my perspective has changed, and I’ve come to recognize and admit to myself the mistakes I have made over the years. I have always been able to apply the concepts of error analysis throughout my career. When it pertained to recognizing the weaknesses or failures in an analysis, it was one of my most recognized capabilities. I prided myself on my ability to apply the Scientific Method to almost any situation. However, very seldom did I apply the same skillset to my personal life.
When we fail, especially in our careers or our personal lives, it is very easy to blame someone else, our boss, a coworker, our parents, spouse, or significant other. We may blame the situation we were in as if it were out of our own control. We blame anyone and everything in order to deflect the responsibility for our mistakes and failures from the person responsible, ourselves. I readily admit I am an example of these same habits.
The personal trait of self-awareness, which I will discuss in detail in a later post, allows us to recognize and acknowledge our weaknesses as well as our strengths. It acts as our internal GPS so to speak, showing us where we make a wrong turn in our lives and directing us back on track. Learning from each misadventure, becoming more humble, less arrogant and prideful, accepting blame where it is needed, and leading us on the path to wisdom.
I am nowhere close on my journey of personal growth, but I do believe I am getting better at admitting my and attempting to learn from them each day. And, hopefully, by doing so, I am a better person today than I was yesterday and will be an even better person tomorrow.
