“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” ~Elbert Hubbard

Dear Universe,

As children in school we were taught that making mistakes was all part of the learning process.  We knew it was okay to get it wrong because the next time we’d hopefully get it right.  And before any big tests or exams, there was plenty of time to practice, to fail, to relearn, to practice again and again… until we could get it just right.

Gold stars all around.

That was such a great system.  It eliminated the fear of failure.  No pressure.  Just time to learn from our mistakes and think about what to do better the next time.

So why is it as adults we feel the need to get it right all the time?

We put so much pressure on ourselves to say and do the right things that we leave no room for error.

But mistakes are part of learning, aren’t they?

The other day I came across this mantra in my book of daily ones.

“I cannot fail.  I can only learn.”

As my day went on, the mantra stayed with me.  Yes!  Brilliant!  If I can just live day to day knowing that not every mistake means catastrophic failure maybe I’ll be less afraid to make choices and simply move forward.

So what if something doesn’t work out perfectly or work out at all?  Isn’t that part of life and the journey?  Isn’t that part of learning and growing?

See, the best part about being an adult is there is no final exam looming ahead.  Our task is to simply do the best we can day-to-day.  If we make a mistake—it’s really okay.  Just learn and move forward with grace and ease.

Gold stars all around.

Thank you for the lesson on learning.  And thanks for the reminder that sometimes the mistakes we make end up being the best things that happen to us.

Much Gratitude,

A