Have you ever screwed something up royally that was really important to you? This can be so frustrating especially if you tried to do the best you could and it still wound up a mess. Maybe you were in an important relationship and it went sour? Maybe you did something at work that you really regret? Whatever it was it could leave you feeling like a real failure.
There are many people out there who are afraid to take risks because they believe they can't deal with the possibility of making a mistake. Some people even learn from their families that it is not a good idea to take risks. Sometimes these messages can be really subtle like someone you trust saying "You know, if you do (fill in the blank with something you really want to try), it could really hurt you." or "You don't want to do that. Only (fill in a negative adjective for a person) do that." Although this trusted person might have the best intentions for your well being, the implied message here is that it is not OK to take risks.
However, when we try something new that is important to us and we fail, we learn critical information about who we are and what we like and are good at. Sometimes we have to get it wrong, maybe even more than once, in order to figure out what is right for us. The next time you make a huge mistake ask yourself what you learned about you and your life for the future. Taking calculated risks can lead to great gains! So get out there and give yourself permission to fail...and learn!
