8 reasons to celebrate mistakes
Many of us are haunted by the fear of failure. We dread the thought of making mistakes. We shudder at the missteps that might cost is grades, athletic victories, careers, money or relationships.
Note: Nothing in this article amounts to an argument in favor of making mistakes in the first place. Rather, the intention is to encourage shining a light on mistakes so that we can examine them and fix them. Mistakes that are hidden cannot be corrected. That’s the rationale behind each of the following reasons to celebrating mistakes.
1. Celebration allows us to notice the mistake.
Celebrating mistakes gets them out into the open. This is the opposite of covering
up mistakes or blaming others for them. Hiding mistakes takes a lot of energy—energy
that could be channeled into correcting errors.
2. Mistakes are valuable feedback.
A manager in a major corporation once made a mistake that could cost his company
$100,000. He predicated that he would be fired when his boss found out. Instead,
his boss responded, “Fire you? I can’t afford to do that. I just
spent $100,000 training you” The athlete who works hard in practice
and competition is often rewarded with additional playing time, even if that
effort doesn’t result in victory at first. Coaches recognize that victories
come when their athletes make correct and consistent efforts to learn from
their mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process. Not only are mistakes
usually more interesting than most successes- they’re often more instructive.
3. Mistakes demonstrate that we’re taking
risks.
People who play it safe make few mistakes. Making mistakes is evidence that
were are stretching to the limit of our abilities—growing, risking,
and learning. Fear of making mistakes can paralyze us into inaction. Celebrating
mistakes helps us move into gear and get things done. The only sure way to
avoid mistakes is to stand on the sidelines and never enter a game.
4. Celebrating mistakes reminds us that it’s
OK to make them.
When we celebrate, we remind ourselves that the person who made the mistake
is not bad---just human.
5. Celebrating mistakes included everyone.
It reminds us that the exclusive club named the Perfect Performance Society
has no members. All of us make mistakes. When we notice them, we can work
together. In contrast, blaming people for mistakes isolates people. It prevents
cooperative efforts that can improve our circumstances. Blame undercuts team
unity and undermines a team’s potential for future victories. This
applies to teams in the workplace as much as teams on the athletic field.
6. Mistakes occur only when we aim at a clear goal.
We can express concern about missing a target only if the target is there in
the first place. If there’s no target, there’s no concern about
missing it. Making a mistake affirms something of great value--- that we
have a goal.
7. Mistakes happen only when we’re committed
to making things work.
Systems work when people are willing to be held accountable. Openly admitting
mistakes promotes accountability.
Imagine a school where there’s no concern about quality and effectiveness.
Instructors usually come to class late. Residence hall are never cleaned, and
scholarship checks are always late. The administration is in chronic debt,
students seldom pay tuition on time, and no one cares. In this school, the
word mistake would have little meaning. Mistakes become apparent only when
people are committed to improvement. Mistakes go hand and hand with a commitment
to quality.
8. Celebrating mistakes cuts the problem down to size.
On top of mistakes itself, there is often an extra layer of regret, worry,
and desperation. Not only do people have a problem with the consequences
of the mistake----- they punish themselves for making a mistake in the first
place. When we celebrate our mistakes in the classroom or in competition,
we eliminate that extra layer of concern. When our anxiety about making a
mistake is behind us, we can get down to the business of correcting the mistake
and moving on t our next success.
Taken for Becoming a Master Student Athlete. Based on Dave Ellis' Becoming A Master Student
