How to Build From Your Mistakes
I’m teaching three courses this semester as a college professor. I started going around the room and asking each of us to answer a question as a warm-up to get the students loose and acclimated to the start of another class. one day I asked each person to share two mistakes they made the previous day. I started off first, I lost my cool with my daughter and I got to bed late which started my morning late, which created stress, and lowered my productivity. As each student shared their mistakes I listened, learned, and made observations. Here's what I shared: First, acknowledging your imperfection before others has a humbling ability to slide you off your high horse if you have been riding one. Second, when you share your shortcomings and then listen to others it increases your empathy for others. Empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate others and not jump on their case when they have slipped up. Third, listening to the shortcomings of others encourages you as you learn that we are all failing to always make good choices. Fourth, looking at your imperfections within a supportive environment liberates you from the self inflicting wounds we unleash on ourselves when we mess up. Finally, we learned that making poor choices lowers our self-esteem and thereafter the ability to make good choices.
