Enroute Your Legend #2: The Myth Called Mistakes

Okay, maybe they aren’t a myth. Mistakes do exist –some bigger than others, some more painful. And most times, as we seek our personal legend they can seem bigger than life itself and the one step that could ruin (or has ruined) our chances at success.

So what are mistakes? From common definition, simply ‘bad choices’. Things done that when viewed through the lens of further experience and/or consequences should not have been done at all. The thing about mistakes is, everyone makes them. Life and experience wouldn’t be called the best teacher without them. There would be no discipline without them –no strength.

In our book, The Alchemist by Pablo Coelho, Santiago first took his decision to trust a stranger with his money –the decision that left him penniless in a strange land –to be a mistake. But then he had a turnaround: It wasn’t a strange experience, it was a new one! This ‘mistake’ helped the simple shepherd boy learn the language and ways of the people, learn how to deal in crystal and tea, and most importantly, opened his eyes and ears to the ‘Language of the World’ without which he could never have succeeded.

Yes, mistakes are painful, and not all of them will be directly rectifiable. Some will hurt not only you, but those closest to you –those who love you, and those you love the most. Still, the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. Let your aim not be to rectify your errors in judgement, but to learn from them so as to make better choices in the future.
Let your aim be to reach your treasure –the end of your journey.

Expect mistakes. In fact, welcome them! Because without them, you will not learn how to do new things and deal with new situations. Without them you will not grow.

• Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook

image source: 123RF Stock Photos
With stories from Pablo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'