Motivational and Inspirational speakers most times urge us to make mistakes, instead of trying to dwell in fear of failing when taking steps or thinking of such. They’re right. And they would have been wrong if they were adequately bounded by the exemption clause “instead of trying to dwell in fear of failing when taking a step or thinking of such”. It is also important that you, the reader at the receiving end understand that this is the condition of asking you to make a mistake instead of relapsing. In such cases, there is much to learn than when you don’t take a dive, a step, a try, a take.
But making a mistake when you can avoid it does not attract an award, recognition, award, applause, accolade or laurel. It amounts to mistakes. Nothing better than worse. The world does not celebrate mistake makers. Making a mistake is a negative statement in an act, a principle, process, procedure or whatever that is at stake.
Whenever you make a mistake you reset, restart, and redo. Mistakes are costly, expensive, and ghastly and yet some mistakes can be fatal (life-taking). Ask a driver who made a mistake on steering, who died or was permanently maimed or have his passengers on that roll.
Some mistakes are retrievable, reversible, correctable and pardonable, while some are permanent, eternal and everlasting. Ask Mama Sarah [Papa Abraham’s wife] to allow her husband to sleep with her maiden Hagar. The world is divided into 2 predominantly: Sarah’s children and Hagar’s – both Abraham’s.
Ask History of any government that had gone into extinction, collapsed, impoverished, slide, or failed – they’re a product of mistakes as a result of failed decisions (not failed people).
Ask different governments of my country and of other climes.
Ask citizens about their mistakes in the selection of leaders.
Ask me.
Ask you.
Many mistakes or errors are irretrievable and permanently smeared. Be careful. Mistakes are the opposite of ‘Take’.
Take means well, right, and convinced position, stance, stand, you hold, take, have or get on an issue or a thing. When you miss the take…you mis-take [miss-take]. That’s the origin, the etymology of the word, mistake.
It would be best if you were careful in the right stance you take on matters, otherwise taking the wrong stance makes you MIS-TAKE. But again, you must take a stance. It is far better to take a stance, try effort or position than not taking a stance.
Boosters to Taking Good Stance [Not Making Mistakes]
Things that can make you take a good stance (no mistake) include but are not limited to;
- Thorough verification or investigation
- Research, research, and research
- Question, query, and inquiry
- Looking beyond endorsement, branding and packaging
- The consciousness of the message, capacity and content.
- Avoiding exuberances, ecstasies, fantasies and excitements
- Doing away with indiscipline, be disciplined.
- Being quick in taking the right convincing option/step. When people fail or drag their legs in taking correct/right options, the devil offers his alternatives fast and the person will be weak to refuse, having refused the earlier option.
There are issues in my life that could have been caused by mistakes and issues that are mistake-free, so it is to you, and to our/your organizations, societies, country and world. You should be conversant/familiar with the stupid statement that “mistakes always occur” or “nobody is above mistakes.” I want to achieve in you via this post/write-up by destroying the stupidity and mentality of the permissibility of these statements. We grow up to start hearing them. They are not from God. That statement makes mistakes permissible. Mistakes can be tolerable, but not permissible…just like failing. Those statements irk me…I don’t mean making you a perfectionist cause I’m not one, nor an advocate of perfectionism. In my office, I’ve one inscription I put on the wall saying “we don’t make mistakes here.”
Is it arrogance? No.
Is it boasting? No.
Do we make mistakes? We don’t celebrate it, we don’t permit it but we can tolerate it and we can encourage it if the fear of mistake can make you hide from taking a try/step.
Please, it is not God that is behind our mistakes. It is us. But God can turn the mistakes into miracles if we turn the mistakes to him. Let us learn to take responsibilities that we are not the committers of the mistakes and that it won’t go without a cost, no matter how small. Let us not Christianize mistakes to be the will of God. Most times there is a heavy cost associated with mistakes.
- Sixty-two years after independence, my country, our society is grappling with reality despite claimed “resources”
- Hundreds of years after the transatlantic slave trade, Africa is still grappling with an identity crisis
- Check your life. I’m checking mine
- Joseph paid heavily for mistakes
- Israel paid a stupendously fee for a mistake, a journey of 40days taking 40years
- The first world paid terribly
- Sodom and Gomorrah paid with their lives.
- etc.
Mistakes can occur at the foundation of any enterprise, coming together, relationship, project, or journey. Mistakes can occur during the process and mistakes can occur at the end. But hear me, and hear me well: the most difficult mistake to correct is the one at the foundation, at the beginning.
Every failing nation, government, economy, society and organization had a mistake at the foundation of starting or coming together.
Every challenging marriage, relationship, friendship, employment, and membership had a mistake the first time a meeting or muting the relationship.
Constitution don’t settle many things when the journey had started.
ALWAYS DOT THE ‘I’ AND CROSS THE ‘T’ BEFORE GETTING EXCITED.
Why?
Mistakes go from light to humongous pay-out, depending on;
- Depth of the mistakes
- When was the mistake made: foundation, middle or towards the end?
- How fast the ‘mistakers’ are able to realize they have made mistakes
- How fast the people are ready to retrieve the steps or make a detour
- How SINCERE and HONEST the makers or inheritors of the mistakes are for a change.
- How together ideologically and unitedly are the people to address the mistake
- What human and material resources are the people endowed to resolve the mistake?
The above permits me to one single truth; it is easier to correct one-person owned mistakes than corporately inherited/owned mistakes.
My Prescription
My take (not mis-take), position or prescription to you is:
AVOID MISTAKES IF YOU CAN, NO AWARD IS GIVEN TO MISTAKE MAKERS THAN BLAME. BUT WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, LEARN FROM IT AND MOVE FORWARD FAST. KNOW IT: IT’S BETTER TO MAKE A MISTAKE THAN TO HIDE IN YOUR SHELL IN FEAR OF MAKING A MISTAKE.
Mike Ihezuo is a prolific and quintessential author, writer, researcher, consultant and speaker in Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Motivational. He’s better heard than advertised. You can reach him on +234-90-5790-1334, learn more from #mikeihezuospeakshq, #leadershipxcellence, #businessroundtable.
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