Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life. — Sophia Loren
This could easily be the longest segment in my life. In fact, the shortest would be all the things I might have done right, and even those things are in question. In fact, we will just put the things I might have done right here within the mistakes, because anything I might have done right was probably just a mistake that had a happy outcome by sheer luck.
A common conversation question is, ‘if you could change anything in your past, what would it be?’ or ‘if you could go back in time and change one thing, what time would you go to?’ I have often thought about this question and pondered the possibilities. Sometimes I feel like my whole life was a just a series of mistakes. Maybe some would see it that way, but it all depends on your definition of “mistake.”
Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word mistake as both a noun and a verb. As a verb its definition is: “to blunder in the choice of,” or “to misunderstand the meaning or intention of” or to “make a wrong judgment of the character or ability of.” As a noun it is defined similarly as, “a wrong judgment” or “a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment, inadequate knowledge, or inattention.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistake)
Mistakes are necessary elements to living, meaning it is inevitable and also subjective to each person. It also goes to say that mistakes are not inherently bad things. We have associated mistakes with awful outcomes and therefore see them as things to be avoided. However, this is almost an impossibility. Our knowledge and understanding at any point in time is subject to change and specific to our experiences throughout life. To believe we could never make a mistake is a ridiculous notion in a fairy tale world.
We will make mistakes. We will make choices that shape our life and future and we will make those choices based on the knowledge and understanding we have at the time we make them. We usually only know they are big mistakes after we experience the fallout; you know, after we learned our lesson.
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. These choices are what shapes our destiny and defines our experience of this life. Misunderstandings of present situations guide us to better understanding for the future. This is what a mistake means. It is not necessarily bad. It is not necessarily good. It is what it is… a decision to act in the moment based on the beliefs and knowledge we have at the time.
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. — George Bernard Shaw
I would not go back and change the choices I made. Oftentimes, I wish I had made better choices. But I did the best I could at the time I made the choice. I would not go back and change marrying my first husband. I would not go back in time and not get pregnant at 16. I would not go back at all. Today is the outcome of my yesterdays and I love my today. Your today will shape your tomorrow, so use the knowledge from your yesterdays to make the best choices for today.
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