Mistakes Aren’t Always Bad

How many mistakes have you made in your life? A few, or would you be more honest and admit to the whole pile? Not very many are fortunate to be able to declare an almost flawless life! If you’re like me and most everyone else, you’ve got quite a list of mistakes. Wrong or evil partners, bad career choices, the time you mouthed off and got smacked on your butt for being a fool. Bad food habits, vices, stupid decisions; we make a lot of mistakes, don’t we?

Well, unless your sitting on your butt like a rock, doing nothing with your life. Are you? Understand this; the minute you start making choices and decisions, you’re apt to be wrong occasionally. The more you do, the more chances you’ve got of having something blow up on you! Guess what? That’s a good thing! If nothing ever goes wrong, it’s as apt to be from luck as from wisdom and learning better. Your mistakes at least are instructive!

If you don’t learn from them, and keep repeating them, well, sorry, you’re not being all that bright. But even if you’re paying good attention, life is a lot more trial and error than you’d like it to be. My old martial arts instructor had a nifty saying; pain is instructive. That doesn’t just apply to getting your butt hammered and tossed on the hard floor. Mental pain, emotional pain, are also instructive, hopefully teaching you not to make bad choices in the future.

Naturally, humans are a bit slow. Someone can stick a fork in an outlet and get fried, but if they come across an outlet that seems a tiny bit different, they’ll stick the fork in it too. Zap! We can be a bit slow to learn at times, especially about emotional things. We use a lot more optimism that thought, especially with someone we’ve got the hots for. Naturally, it takes most people several tries to figure out how to be emotionally smart, even for someone who wouldn’t think of jumping off the roof.

So keep making mistakes; that’s how you learn and evolve your soul. Just try not to keep making the same ones. That’s no way to convince anyone you’re smart or learning. Especially God.  He gave you free will so you’d learn, not to demonstrate an innate lack of insight or smarts. Okay?

Jack