Embracing Mistakes

We always want to do our very best in life, wherever we may be.

We want to feel good about ourselves and our achievements, and often that feeling is achieved when we learn that other people think that we're good at what we do, too, right?

Though we're educated from birth, and as adults, to operate in a world that requires us to get things right, and to aim for perfection, what do we expect will happen when things do go wrong? Surely we know deep down that, as humans, it is certain that we will not succeed all of the time. So why does it hit us so hard when these things happen?

Brené Brown, scholar & researcher of vulnerability, uncovered the answer. It seems that we hold a profoundly dangerous myth to be true; that vulnerability is weakness.

Instead, Brown argues that when we numb vulnerability, we numb happiness.

Instead we should recognise that vulnerability is in fact "our most accurate measurement of courage."

Another part of truly embracing your mistakes is having a sense of humour about it.

A recent article in the Huffington Post also revealed how the ability to laugh at yourself (when things go wrong) can also aid self-forgiveness and the forgiveness of others - helping to develop personal resilience.

It's all part of the life-long learning process.

How do we perceive mistakes at Folk?

The general consensus is that it's fine to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them

We think mistakes are good.

Thoughts? Insights? Tweet us @folkdigital

For more lessons learned in the process of making mistakes, you can listen to the Making Mistakes podcast from TED.