On Making Mistakes

I'm in an industry where you fail on a daily basis and if you aren't failing, you aren't pushing yourself enough.

I believe it's how you deal with that constant failure that separates the good from the great. If failing last time makes you skittish this time, then you'll most likely fail again. If failing last time makes you work harder and push further this time, then you might succeed. Failure is an integral part of our process. And how you deal with it will shape the kind of creative you become.

Failing in life follows this same principle. How you deal with your mistakes shapes who you are. Mistakes build character.

We as a society tend to label people by the mistakes they've made, not by the person they are. I've made my share of mistakes. Everyone has. Most of us grow past our mistakes. Most of us learn from them and move on. But your past is and always will be a part of you. It's how others see you, and how they may always see you. And it's frustrating.

Mistakes shouldn't define you. How you deal with them should.

One of my closest friends is an incredibly talented musician with a huge heart. Unfortunately, a lot of people can't see that because they're too hung up on his past. They're more hung up on his past than he is. He took a bad situation and found a way to rise above it. He didn't run from it. He didn't throw his life away because of it. Instead, he faced it. And he's a better person, and an amazing father, because of it.

I choose to see him for his success in handling it all. I choose to see him for the person he became through it all. I choose to focus on the outcome rather than the mistake.

Here's my point.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes. We will all fail at some point. It's inevitable. So don't be afraid of it. And when you do make a mistake, accept it. Face it. Learn from it. And then move on.

Don't let your mistake define you.
Let your triumph over it define you instead.