Mistakes are part of life , no one is completely safe from them. In fact, they play a fundamental role in terms of human personal growth.

If it were not for the mistakes we make sometimes, we would not be able to learn from them so that we could correct them later.

In this article we’ll see a list of tips on how to learn from mistakes . Let’s start with the basics.

What exactly are mistakes?

The term error refers to the action of having done something in the wrong way, or some reckless action that generates uncomfortable moments.

Common to all errors is that are accidental, involuntary ; that is, you could never make a mistake voluntarily, that would be a paradox.

The other common aspect of mistakes, and the most important one, is that behind each one of them hides the opportunity to get a valuable learning , internalizing why we have made a mistake we will be able to grow as people and nourish ourselves from the mistake so we don’t make it again, in the future.

Tips on learning from mistakes

We will now review some efficient ways to learn from mistakes, properly internalizing the experiences.

1. Change your perception of mistakes

Once you start to see mistakes as opportunities and not failures , you can learn from them in the best possible way. Sometimes a change of perspective is enough to significantly improve your quality of life.

2. Don’t let anxiety win you over

Anxiety is reflected in the fear we may have when faced with errors , that is, when before starting an activity, fear paralyzes us and prevents us from carrying it out.

To avoid this, the ideal is to understand that things don’t necessarily have to go wrong just because we think they will. Thoughts do not always determine actions.

Remember that feeling fear is natural, don’t let it paralyze you, trust your abilities and do the activities as you know how to do them, even if they are not free of imperfections.

3. Regulates the level of self-demand

This point refers to the fact that sometimes being too perfectionist can lead to a distorted view of our propensity to do things wrong , and does not allow us to learn from our mistakes.

When we have an attitude of extreme perfectionism, we do not tolerate mistakes, and as a consequence of this behavior we avoid thinking about these activities.

This is one of the tips to learn from the most complex mistakes, since it is not always easy to stop feeling uneasy at the idea of creating something with certain defects.

4. Using new learning

Using the knowledge we have gained from our past mistakes is one way to learn how we can improve, and we could continue to learn. It’s like a ladder, as we climb one step we must gradually climb the others, learning something new every time we take a step.

5. Focus on the present

One of the main limitations of learning is to remain anchored in the past. We must change the classic thinking that if we were wrong in the past, we will be wrong again in the present .

That thinking must be replaced by a more adaptive one. For example, the ideal is to think that if we did not do well in the past, we will do better this time, with the new learning we have acquired.

6. Avoid acting rashly

Acting hastily can lead us to make mistakes, and apart from that, it hinders the process of learning from that mistake, taking into account that when we act in this way we do not have time to properly evaluate the reasons that led us to make the mistake .

7. Be self-critical

Healthy self-criticism is essential to learn from our mistakes. When we use self-criticism, we are somehow making an objective evaluation of our own person; of our virtues and also of our points to be corrected .

8. Consider the opinions

Sometimes, from other people’s perspective we can understand more adequately what are the aspects to be improved in ourselves . The opinions of others help us to evaluate ourselves.

These opinions serve as a point of comparison between what we think and what others think about our experience. Ideally, we should be tolerant and accept that others’ ideas about what we do need not always be positive. That way we can learn more about our past mistakes.

Bibliographic references:

  • Ayduk, O.; Gyurak, A.; Luerssen, A. (2009). Rejection sensitivity moderates the impact of rejection on self-concept clarity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 35 (11): 1467 – 1478.
  • Ross, M.; Wilson, A. E. (2002). It feels like yesterday: self-esteem, valence of personal past experiences, and judgments of subjective distance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 82 (5): 792 – 803.