When Mistakes Speak

Dear lovely people,

If it is true that we are shaped to some extent by our past, it goes without saying then that we are products of our past. But many are the people who dwell in their past to the extent that they actually become prisoners of their past. Oscar Wilde intimates that “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”

Paul and Peter rented an airplane to get to the distant forest zone to hunt. After two good weeks, the pilot returned to take them back. After looking at their hunting trophies he told them that the plane won’t be able to carry more than one buffalo. He requested them to leave one of them behind. That was a bitter pill for Paul and Peter to swallow and Peter reminded the pilot that he had taken on board the same number of buffalos of same size.

The pilot thought about it for a while and told them it was OK and that if it worked the last year, it should work this time too. After everything was loaded, the plane tried to take off with Paul, Peter and the two buffalos on board, but it was not able to reach the required height. The plane ended up crashing into a nearby montane forest.

Luckily for Paul and Peter, they were not killed. After getting out of the plane wreck, they looked around and Paul inquired from Peter: “Where do you think we are now Peter?” Peter closely examined the surroundings dejected and told Paul: “I think we are two miles south from the place where we crashed the last time.”

Mistakes make up a part of our past. Some mistakes mean the end of your world and yet on the surface, others might just seem like the end of the world while below the surface they present you with the perfect opportunity to learn, to grow and to improve yourself. Think back to all the mistakes you made in life and consider how they have strengthened your character and ability. Consider the plethora of skills that your mistakes have taught you, and also how they have shaped your knowledge, personality, your social development and your life experience.

Mistakes are valuable. However, for them to be of value, you must first see them as a beneficial and critical part of your life that you cannot avoid and must instead embrace with an open heart and open mind. Who knows, your biggest mistakes could end up turning into your most glorious victories, as long as you are open to learning and growing from the experience.

Mistakes should immediately indicate to you that something went wrong. As a result you must be ready and prepared to deal with this situation. However, most importantly you must be ready to learn from the situation in order to improve your choices, decisions and actions in the future. If Paul and Peter had learned from their first mistake, they will not have had a second plane crash risking their lives.