by Emily Crawford

Created on: June 29, 2008

Everything happens for a reason. Mistakes are no exception. The "aha moment" may not present itself immediately. In fact, sometimes errors are committed multiple times before we see any sign of the light bulb beginning to glow. Yet other times, the reason for the mistake is abundantly clear from the outset.

We don't like to make mistakes, but each one teaches us something. Mistakes can be wake-up calls or doses of reality. They help us evolve as humans. Whether it's something as minor as forgetting to purchase a needed item at the grocery store or as extreme as vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, mistakes create opportunities to learn.

Realizing the failure to purchase dozen eggs during a shopping excursion embarked upon specifically to secure the ingredients necessary to bake a cake, can teach the importance of using a written list for subsequent trips to the market. Facing the reality of being solely responsible for causing a fatal automobile accident can teach remorse, forgiveness, and the ability to overcome self loathing and discover self worth.

It's what happens immediately following a mistake that determines if and how a lesson will be learned. Smaller mistakes can teach us how to laugh at ourselves and take things slightly less seriously. Larger mistakes, those which result in utter devastation on multiple levels, can teach us to take things far more seriously.

No matter the severity, mistakes afford us the opportunity to look within ourselves, analyze flaws and weaknesses, and identify and implement necessary behavior modifications. Can we learn without making mistakes? Sure, but sometimes the process of physically and emotionally facing the consequence of an erroneous action is a vital component of the ultimate lesson.

A mistake is a mistake each and every time we make it. However, unless the consequences of committing the error have a direct adverse impact on us, we may not learn the inherent lesson. For example, forgetting the eggs is always a mistake, albeit a very small one. Why do we forget them? Perhaps, it's because we didn't bring a written list to the store. Will we bring a list next time? Maybe. It depends how much we were inconvenienced by having to make a return trip to the store once we realized we didn't have the eggs.

It's a mistake when the auto mechanic opens the tailgate on a station wagon and then raises the car on a lift smashing the tailgate into the ceiling. Will he remember to close the tail gate next time?

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