I made a mistake. Oops!
However, I’ve since found out it was good for my brain. Phew!
Admittedly, mine was a tiny mistake that went out in an email to a prospective client.
In fact, it was two mistakes, really.
Instead of typing: “gives you an outline of how we work with our clients,” I typed “gives you an outline of how we work with out clients.”
Not only did I misspell “without” but I suggested we can operate without clients!”
In retrospect, my mistake(s) are quite amusing, albeit at the time, rather frustrating.
It did get me thinking, though.
Psychology of mistakes #
How does the science of psychology view error? While I know that mistakes are learning experiences and through them, give us an opportunity to change direction, I wanted to know more.
According to IconIQ Psychology….
When we know how to do something right, we feel good. We are in the safety of our comfort zone where everything is familiar. Making a mistake is often, yet falsely, viewed as a sign of incompetence.
Our ability to learn from our mistakes is all about mindset and beliefs about learning and intelligence.
Viewing mistakes as a learning tool will increase the chances that we actually learn something.
Here’s something really fascinating about what happens in our brains when we make a mistake…
Firing synapses #
When a mistake is made, synapses in our brains fire. These are electrical signals that move between parts of the brain when we learn something new. Three different things can happen in our brain when we are learning: either new pathways are formed or already existing pathways in the brain become strengthened or already existing pathways connect in the brain in a new way.
The times when we are challenged are actually the best for brain growth.
The fear of being wrong can be paralysing.
As has been proven, when we create an environment where mistakes a natural part of life, we actually increase our chances for success.
“By doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.” – Peter Abelard.
Overconfidence can prevent learning…..
Don’t be afraid #
So, we shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes. Not only that, sometimes we should plainly consider where we could be wrong.
When we are overly confident, we don’t put as much effort into learning anymore.
So, whether it is fear of failure or overconfidence, none of these two mindsets will help you learn or achieve success.
Making mistakes and self-talk. Creating an environment where failure, errors and mistakes are seen as a natural part of learning is crucial.
We’re not stupid #
Rather than say to ourselves we are stupid, we should say we made a stupid mistake
The first statement is tearing down our self-confidence and attacking our personal identity as a smart and capable person.
What the second statement does is admitting to the mistake.
Once again, it’s perfectly human to make mistakes
Perfection is not only subjective but also highly overrated. The ability to learn without fearing judgement from anyone else or even yourself is what will make you into a smarter and more capable person.
Of course, this isn’t about not trying hard in the first place or seeking to make as many mistakes as possible. But try giving yourself the privilege of making a mistake from time to time and see what you might discover.
I trust you are all enjoying your zig zag journeys to success. I sure as heck am enjoying mine, but I really must learn to type more accurately 😊
Thank you for reading.
