Mistakes are included in the core curriculum for living. If we didn't make mistakes, we could never reap the benefits of learning from them. We would all be like robots, living our lives without the enrichment that learning from past mistakes provides. We would never grow emotionally or spiritually. We would not have the ability to experience the joy that comes from overcoming obstacles in life. In short, we would stagnate. There would be nothing to improve in life. How boring would that be?

It's not that we don't strive for perfection. After all, it isn't logical to intentionally make mistakes. They just happen, and each time they do, we are given the opportunity to learn how to prevent making the same mistake again. We rethink our actions and figure out what we could have done to avoid the mistake. The next time the same situation arises, or one similar to it, we will have a different plan of action. A different outcome is expected, and if not achieved, we go through the process again until we eventually get it right. This is how we live, learn and grow into productive humans beings. It is a part of living and a fact of life.

Mistakes are never welcomed, but they do serve a purpose in life. Our spirits sink with each blunder, only to be resurrected by a heightened by sense confidence we get from correcting our mistakes. We get a sense of pride in knowing that we are capable of improvement. We have a tendency to forgive ourselves while we vow to seek paths of improvement within ourselves. It is seldom an easy task, but it is a necessary one. We must first recognize we made a mistake, then forgive ourselves long enough to make the situation right, at least to the fullest extent possible.

Mistakes are there to help us become better people. While we can't always fix our mistakes, we can attempt to rectify them by pledging not to make them again and also by striving to reduce the damage our mistakes have caused, especially to other people. Every good person on earth comes equipped with the heart, mind, soul and natural instinct for doing this. It is a life-long process and code of conduct for living their lives. No one really knows why, but it is an unspoken truth.

Learn more about this author, Patricia Coffman.
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