I often think about how many mistakes I’ve made, how many times I’ve felt foolish. And yet, those moments of failure are the very things that push me forward. No matter how much we prepare, read, or listen to the advice of others, sometimes the best lessons are the ones we learn the hard way—through our own stumbles and missteps.
Mistakes aren’t just inevitable; they are necessary. It’s funny, though, how often we avoid admitting that. Perhaps it’s because, in our minds, failure feels like something to be ashamed of. But what if, instead, we saw each mistake as a stepping stone toward growth? I know I’ll keep making mistakes in the future—probably more than I can count—but the important part is that I learn from them. In fact, my past failures have already shaped who I am today.
The Lesson Will Keep Repeating Itself Until You Learn It
There’s a saying: the lesson will be repeated until it’s learned. It feels so true. How often do we find ourselves repeating the same mistakes, simply because we haven’t fully grasped the lesson hidden in them? It reminds me of how patient teachers are in school, repeating the same concept over and over again until the class finally understands. Life, however, isn’t quite as kind. It teaches us with a sharper edge, a kind of whip in hand—if we don’t learn from our mistakes, it’s only a matter of time before we face the consequences again, often harsher than before.
The Power of Experience
We often warn children about fire, telling them not to touch it. Yet, it’s not uncommon for them to learn the lesson only after burning their fingers. Isn’t that how most of us operate? Humans are naturally stubborn learners, as research has shown. We often need direct, sometimes painful, experience to fully understand a lesson. It’s no wonder we struggle to teach ourselves sometimes.
Fortunate Are Those Who Learn from Others
Yet, there’s another layer to this. I’ve come to realize how fortunate we are if we can learn from the stories of others. It’s a skill to absorb lessons from someone else’s experience, saving ourselves the pain and time of discovering the hard way. Books, in particular, hold the power to teach us through the wisdom of history. They allow us to step into someone else’s shoes, to learn from their failures and triumphs without having to live through them ourselves.
As the famous saying goes, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps this is why books are so important—they remind us of where we’ve been, so we can make better choices moving forward.
Move Fast, Learn Faster
In the end, maybe the goal isn’t to avoid making mistakes altogether, but to learn from them quickly. As we move through life, we’ll inevitably do stupid things, but we should do them with enthusiasm. After all, it's not about the mistakes themselves but how quickly we adapt and grow from them.
The path to progress is often messy, but with each misstep, we move closer to where we want to be.
― Colette
