Image by: Unsplash
By Alvin Martin
This morning, as the warm shower water soothingly descended on my cold body and profound thoughts formed in my mind, I felt something on my hand – a strand of pure white hair!
I couldn’t believe it at first, but at least I am not going bald. Some men would rather shave their heads to get rid of it or dye it to try and hide it. But in my mind, why bother? I don’t want to stress myself over it.
I am 33 and officially, I now feel old. However, for me, growing old is a good thing. It’s a sign of sophistication and maturity. Also, I don’t worry much anymore about making mistakes like how I used to.
We are wiser today than yesterday because our mistakes provide us an opportunity to grow.
When I was 6 years old, I remember making a cup of coffee for myself. I wanted to prove that I could accomplish some things on my own, but it was an epic fail. I ended up breaking the cup and spilling the coffee on the carpeted floor.
Of course, my mother gave me a few spanks to scare me into not making the same mistake again. I understood that committing errors leads to terrible consequences.
But as I grew older I realized one thing:
Mistakes can fuel awareness and in effect, bring us closer to success and happiness.
Whenever we experience failure, we can either choose to miss the lesson and punish ourselves or we can decide to act in a productive way.
This reminds me of my cousin Jeff and his ex-GF. They were together since college until just about a month ago when she broke up with him. It was my cousin’s fault though; he really messed up big time.
Right now, I think he’s trying to work things out with her. But for all of you guys out there, who don’t want to be in the same position as Jeff, read “5 Most Common Ways Men Mess Up With Their Long-Term Relationships.”
Renew your commitment and start by learning to say “I’m sorry.”
You may feel uncomfortable, but learning to admit that you’re wrong brings you closer to the people that really matter in your life.
Try to become a better man by taking responsibility for your own actions. Giving your complete involvement can be tough, but it is necessary to break the cycle and avoid dealing with the same issues in your relationships over and over again.
Dealing with heartbreaks or emotional stress can be very expensive for some people. I know someone who used to go shopping or go on luxurious trips whenever she felt fed up with her job and her life in general. As a result, she ended up falling into debt.
Mistakes can transform us into becoming a better version of ourselves. It also accelerates our progress once we start recognizing them.
Writer Connor Richardson has some personal advice to help you design your financial freedom in his piece “7 Ways to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Without Totally Changing Your Lifestyle.”
Another big mistake that makes people unhappy is constant complaining. They blame everything but themselves and always play the victim.
Well, here’s what: Complaining makes you sick. So, instead of pointing your finger, take responsibility for your part in the situation and see what you can learn from it.
If you can’t see your flaws, you will be trapped in your own miseries and limitations.
Make your mistakes a redefining moment and create a new character out of your imperfections.
It’s not that easy though especially in this society wherein we are being measured by the number of achievements we have, and wherein mistakes and failures should make us feel guilty and shameful.
My parents were really strict with my studies. I became grade conscious and started to think that life was all about achieving awards. It was only when I finished college that I realized this:
We are also being measured by the number of times we manage to get back on our feet after being defeated.
Stop beating yourself whenever you fail. Setbacks are part of success. The bigger the dreams we have, the more challenges we encounter along the way.
With growing wisdom and broader perspective, we can deal with our issues better and enjoy life more.
Never stop improving yourself and try to learn something new each day to become wiser. Look for new information, ideas or anything that could prepare you for unexpected events or prevent you from going through unpleasant situations.
Like this one – “How to Remove Pesticides From Non-Organically Grown Produce.”
The instructions may sound simple but if we don’t clean our food properly, we are committing a mistake of poisoning ourselves and our loved ones slowly.
There’s value in every mistake.
Life is a journey with many reoccurring situations. But every time we embrace the lessons from our failures and make the necessary changes on our end, we become happier and closer to success.
So, get up and get back in the game. Keep learning until you get where you want to go.