Mistakes and how you handle them will largely determine your path and the degree of success you experience in this world.
Too often, mistakes are seen as roadblocks or detours on your journey toward achieving your goals. But think about the impact of this reaction…
Can you see how this is really an overly cautious and self-defeating perspective? One that seals your curiosity and your creativity?
Think about how children learn, exploring their world for the first time. How many bumps and bruises do they accumulate when they learn to put one foot in front of the other? How many failed attempts does it take before those first successful steps?
And yet this is anything but wasted time. Along with each so-called ‘failure’ comes incremental learning that eventually leads to success.
Bugs: They Never Get Old
And the same goes for us, no matter how old and how experienced we are. Our mistakes and mistakes can always be mined for gems of wisdom.
Jony Ive has a very practical perspective on this whole process.
But who is Jony Ive and why should we care what he has to say?
Well, he’s Apple’s senior vice president of design and has played a huge role in shaping Apple’s design choices since he joined the company in 1996. Arguably one of the most successful companies in the world, much of it Apple’s success is due to its twinning. of technological excellence with a unique and elegant aesthetic.
And what Jony Ive says is this:
“There is no learning without trying many ideas and failing many times.”
If you’re afraid of being wrong, you’re not going to try the idea you just had. You’ll dismiss it out of hand, and then you’ll never know what might have turned out.
In fact, in time you will probably stop even to have so many ideas. You are training yourself to avoid “mistakes.” This, in turn, narrows your world and nips many possibilities in the bud. It’s a challenge many people face, and perfectionists in particular struggle with it.
How do you feel about that? How is your learning process and where do you put a limit to your own creativity?
It’s really worth thinking about, and I’d love to hear what you discover as you explore.