I read a quote by Steven Furtick the other day that absolutely rocked me! He said, “Some of your greatest mistakes will be the mistakes you never made.”
[shareable cite=”Steven Furtick”]’Some of your greatest mistakes will be the mistakes you never made.’ [/shareable]
This is a lesson that has been coming up over and over again in in my life recently. I went to a lunch event with Tommy Barnett last week, he’s almost 80 years old and has accomplished more than you can imagine in one lifetime. However, when asked what he would do if he could live his life over, he said, “I would have dreamed bigger and taken bigger risks.” That’s incredible!
Today, I simply want to share a few thoughts on making mistakes that I’ve been thinking about lately. Here we go:
1.) We Will Regret Not Making More Mistakes! –Mark Twain said it best, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
[shareable cite=”Mark Twain”]’Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. ‘[/shareable]
2.) Mistakes Help us Grow Faster than our Successes – Thomas Watson said, “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” We learn much more from our failures than we do our successes. We need to learn that we will make mistakes, that it’s ok to make mistakes, and that in the end, mistakes make us better!
[shareable cite=”Thomas Watson”]’If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.'[/shareable]
3.) Too Often, We Let Fear Hold us Back from the Mistakes We Should be Making – When I look back at the past ten years of my life, my greatest regrets are the mistakes I didn’t make! I had L3 Leadership in my heart since 2007. You know why I didn’t start it until 2014? Because I was afraid! You know why it took me a year to actually ask people for help with our organization? Because I was afraid. What am I afraid of? Usually of making mistakes! Ha! Which leads me to my next point…
4.) Making Mistakes is Never as Bad as We Think it is – One of the best thing you need to learn about making mistakes is that they are not fatal! Yes, it can sting a little bit when we make a mistake, but once you learn that you will be ok on the other side of your mistakes, it helps you develop the courage to try new things.
5.) Our Response to our Mistakes is Critical – If you make a mistake or fail and you do not learn from it, then mistakes will cripple you. The beauty of making mistakes is that we can learn from them and do better next time. Stop letting your mistakes keep you in bondage. Admit that is was a mistake or failure, figure out what went wrong and what you can do to make it better next time, then try again!
6.) There are Mistakes You Should Never Make – I would hope this goes without saying, but the mistakes you should never make are obviously moral mistakes. I would never encourage anyone to take bigger risks when it comes to their character and integrity. Just a thought!
Questions:
- What mistakes are you so afraid of making that you won’t even try?
- What is the root of the fear that is holding you back? What are you really afraid of?
- What things have been in your heart that you’ve wanted to try, but haven’t yet? Why not start today? Go for it!
Thoughts? Comment below!
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