Blog: How to Make Mistakes

I am a rash person. I tend to make decisions, then five minutes later I realize what I’ve done, overthink the decision I’ve just made and freak out about it. It’s not a great system, but then again, I don’t claim to be anywhere near perfect. The issue with this whole, not-thinking-through-things practice is that it tends to result in an abundance of mistakes.  Because of the extent to which I have dealt with these errors and my shameless nature, I feel qualified to drop some knowledge about these dastardly happenings.

I’ve noticed that mistakes seem to occur in one of two ways. You either see the mistake coming from a mile away, realize that you can’t do anything to stop it, then experience a brief moment of acceptance before it smacks you across the face. (This is usually a metaphorical smack, but I can’t speak for all situations.)

For example, when I was twelve, I was mowing the lawn on my dad’s riding mower. I was doing a splendid job until it came time to ride the mower back into the shed. Somehow my foot slipped off of the brake just as I was nearing my dad’s brand new car. I stared in horror as I came closer and closer. Then I hit it. Neither the car nor my dad’s reaction to the giant dent in the side were very pretty.

The second type of mistake, and I think most common, occurs when you are completely oblivious to the fact that you’ve done something wrong.  Sometime down the line, you experience an enlightening moment – an epiphany of sorts that informs you of your misdeed. Once, I was in the grocery store with my aunt and we got separated. A little while later I saw her from behind, went up to her, and smacked her on the butt. Yeah, it wasn’t her.

On my birthday a few years ago I had some special candles that were long, thin pieces of wax about seven inches tall. As I leaned in to blow them out, my hair got caught on fire. I failed to notice the fire blazing through my hair, but my friends sure didn’t. Thank goodness my dad interfered before too much of my hair was singed.

I think the most important thing about a mistake though isn’t the mistake itself, but how the consequences are dealt with. Whether it be paying your father to fix the car, an awkward “Oh geez, sorry” to the lady in the grocery store, or laughing at yourself even when you want to burst into tears, it’s how you get through the mortifying situation that people will remember and respect you for. People don’t have a tendency to remember the actual mistake unless it’s really hilarious, and if they do – just embrace it.