Let's make a mistake, let's fail

When we look at our bygone years, we often say, 'Well, I am wiser now, I will not be repeating those mistakes'. But, do we ever say, 'Good that I made that mistake, I am wiser now because of it'. 

As clichéd as the saying might be, it is also true - We learn from our mistakes. Yes, we all do, however, how many of us are really ready to make a mistake? How many of us could say, 'Let's do it, let's take the risk, I might be making a huge mistake, I may fail, but who cares, I would not know if it would be a mistake if I don't do it at the first place!' 

We live our lives conditioned around so many factors - our family, peers, friends, society et al. There aren't any scope for mistakes, for failures, we want to blend in and not stand out. So, everyone is taught how to run the race and try and stay ahead of everyone else. Fun part is, this race never ends, we just keep running. And, then we stumble, just like everyone else. That's when we realise we have made a mistake, which could cost us the race.

Something else also hits us hard at that moment. No one had taught us to fail, everyone had only asked us to succeed. There wasn't a manual that told us that failure is also a part of life, that we do make mistakes and yes, it is 'ok' to make them as well. 

This flaw in the system did not help me either.

When I faced my first failure, I was dazed. I sat bruised and tired on that racing track watching everyone zipping past me without even giving me a glance. And, that’s when I did something I never thought I would do. I tightened my laces, got up, brushed the dust away, took a deep breath and started running again. But, this time, towards the opposite end.