How Mistakes can Prepare you for Success

Experience is the toughest teacher, but learning from your mistakes is the
best thing you can do for yourself.

Experience is the toughest teacher, but learning from your mistakes is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Photo by Victoria Heath on Unsplash

Learning to look at your past and do better can be one of the most humbling experiences.

Often we think that we know it all, and no one else can know whats best for us. The truth is, listening to the stories of others (and embracing yours), is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for success. 

Making mistakes is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, everyday you should strive to move out of your comfort zone, make mistakes and learn something new. Many people equate failing temporarily with permanent failure. Success and failure are things that can be changed at any given time. Just because you haven't reached your goal yet, doesn't mean it will never happen.

We can only decide what we want to accomplish, but a higher power decides when that's going to happen. 

How can making mistakes make prepare you for success? 

Failing fast

On the journey to success, you should always be looking to fail fast. Once you've failed early in your career or personal goals, you know it can only go up from there. This is especially advantageous if you are young, and have the time to fail in your 20s, so you can elevate during your 30s and 40s. 

Look forward to the times when you will fail, because that's when you learn the most. Get comfortable being uncomfortable, and trust the life is all about learning. If you're at a job you think you hate. take a moment to think about what you can gain from the experience before bolting. 

The same is true for personal relationships. Learn what you can and cannot handle in relationships while you're young, so you can spend the rest of your life focused on the future. If the friendship or relationship is meanignful, hold on to it. But don't be afraid to let them fail so you can move on to your net chapter. 

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Learn from the past

Don't think that you only have to learn from your mistakes, you should make it a point to learn from the mistakes of others too. 

Learning from your past can only make you smarter, wiser and more confident. Having been in certain situations before, it will be easier for you to navigate your personal life and career with your newly found confidence. Look back on how far you've come and all that you've learned, and you'll only continue to improve. 

It's also important to listen to the advice of mentors, family and friends. 

Why make a mistake if it can be avoided? Use their mistakes to shape your future and avoid unnecessary missteps. 

Bringing it all together

Mistakes and "failure" only make you stronger. There was never and will never be any glory in easy. Nothing worth having comes without hard work and tenacity, and the ability to learn from all your experiences. 

Would you agree that mistakes prepare you for success?