It’s OK to get it WRONG

I like to write notes and post them around the house. Sometimes they are things I need reminded of, sometimes they are motivational, and sometimes they are things I want the kids to learn.

This particular note–it’s OK to get it wrong–was written for my kids. It seemed like they were struggling with making mistakes; feeling like they had to get everything right the first time. I wanted them to know that success comes from making mistakes; that it is OK to get it wrong if they chose to learn from that mistake.

One day we had a friend over. As he walked out of the house he added a comment to the note. I don’t know why he wrote it. It could have been that  he misunderstood my meaning. It could have been that he disagreed. Or it could have been that he just wanted to argue. He didn’t say and I didn’t get a chance to ask.

Today I want to give you four reasons why “it’s OK to get it wrong”.

Reason #1. Mistakes help us learn and gain experience. They can be our biggest teachers if we choose to learn from them. Find out what went wrong and try to fix it.

Henry Ford said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”

Reason #2. Failures often lead to successes. Failure is part of the process. Thomas Edison said that he found 10,000 ways that wouldn’t work to make a light bulb.

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” ~ Michael Jordan

Reason #3. Mistakes humble us. They remind us we are human and show us areas of weakness. And remind us that weak things can become strengths.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to success is always to try just one more time.”
~Thomas Edison

Reason #4. Mistakes mean action. It means you are trying. And you are probably doing something outside your comfort zone.

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, tells how her dad would ask her every day, “What have you failed at today?” to encourage her and her brother to try new things and not be afraid of failure.

So, go ahead! Get it wrong. Fail. Learn. Become Better.