Making Mistakes

I have been thinking lately, why is everyone so afraid to make mistakes. Be it, in school or at work or at play we are all scared of making mistakes.

Mistakes are just part of being human and living. Whether the mistake is forgetting to put your car in park or leaving the oven on and burning your food.

I am a firm believer that mistakes help you learn. They make you grow as a person and teach you to try again this time only harder than the last.

They make you push yourself to your limits and push you to find out who you really are.

I am not perfect and will never be perfect. I am so grateful for the many mistakes I have made in my life.  One that sticks out in my life is from grade three. I had forgotten to take my Ritalin that day and we were having a really big math test that afternoon. Because I had forgotten to take my Ritalin I failed the test miserably.
I failed it so badly that I remember I started crying. I was so embarrassed and upset with myself.

But my teacher did something amazing. She allowed me to retake the test on a day where I remembered to take my Ritalin. And man I did so much better. But I had also studied for days to prepare for this test. I remembered feeling so successful and so accomplished about what I had done.

I know because I had made that mistake that I was going to push myself to pass and to do that much better.

I do not understand why we are so afraid of making mistakes. I love making mistakes. Because then I can get up and try again. And do better the second time.