Yes, There Are Such Things As Mistakes

Friday I talked about Cherie Carter-Scott’s claim that “there are no mistakes, only lessons,” and promised to give my own opinion on the matter today.

So, do I think there are such things as mistakes? Frankly, yes. I’m as idealistic as the next dreamer, but I’m also aware that there are times when it’s best to be realistic.

For all intents and purposes, a mistake is

an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

With that kind of definition, it’s obvious why we’ve all heard the phrase “People make mistakes” at least once in our lives. To wave them away by claiming they don’t exist – that the only things that exist are the lessons learned from them – is ridiculous. And a bit contradictory.

However, there are also lessons. Everything that happens after we make a mistake (the unintended outcome, how it affects us, and how we choose to deal with it) is part of the lesson. There aren’t as many lessons taught when mistakes aren’t thrown in mix.

Have you ever heard the phrase “I guess you’ll just have to learn the hard way?” When someone says this, what he or she really means is, “Look, I’ve been there and I’m giving you advice on how to avoid going through it yourself. Since you won’t take my advice, you’re just going to have to learn from your mistake.”

Once we make a mistake, it’s up to us whether or not we’re going to learn from – or even acknowledge – the lesson. Take it from someone who’s made more than her fair share of mistakes in the past: They go down a lot smoother when you embrace the lesson.

So, yes, I think Cherie Carter-Scott is wrong. I think there are mistakes. I also think each mistake carries a lesson (or two) and in order to avoid making the same mistake twice (boy, I’m just full of cliches today, aren’t I?) we’d better take notes.