I’m a bit of a fan of mistakes, which may explain why I’ve never stopped making them. There are so many benefits to screwing up, that I just can’t help myself. You don’t even have to be a risk taker to rack them up; you just have to be human. But I do know that the only way to avoid them altogether is to lock yourself away from the world and never interact.

Photo credit: D’Arcy Evans

And why are we so damned afraid of mistakes? It’s not like our lives will be snuffed out if we make one – well, in most cases anyway. Unless I’m wrong, it’s the dreaded “what if”s that get to us. Those pesky imaginary scenarios that keep us awake at night and leave us unable to take a chance. A couple of the more popular ones, of course, are: “What if people talk?” “What if they think I’m crazy?” Who cares. Give them something to talk about, I say. The only “what if” that really needs answering is, “What if it doesn’t work out?” Answer being? “I’ll pick up the pieces and try something else.” End of story. It’s that simple.

Making mistakes for me is a process of elimination game. I’ve narrowed down what I want out of life by making mistakes, and some of them were doozies. I wasn’t always sure about what I wanted, but my mistakes have sure made me clear on what I didn’t. When faced with the same situation again, we always know which way to turn if we’ve made that particular mistake in the past.

So, come out from behind the fence, feel the fear if you need to, and trudge forward. If it doesn’t work out, tuck the lesson into a safe place and leave the mistake behind, but always, always be grateful that you had the chance to make it.

Photo credit: Roma Assaff