Different Perspective on Mistakes

The story goes that a reporter conducting an interview with Thomas Edison asked him about the development process of inventing the light bulb and why it had taken Edison thousands of attempts before finally “getting it right.” Edison’s reply? “Those weren’t failures. I simply did not realize there were 10,000 steps to creating the light bulb.”

10,000 steps…

So many of us tend to see our mistakes as tally marks in the “loser” column of our lives. “Oh, I should have known better!” or “Wow, *that* was a dumb move!” or something similar.  These are the phrases we hear when we make mistakes and beat ourselves up over them. What if, instead, we chose to view our mistakes through Thomas Edison’s lens? We might see our missteps as learning tools on our journey towards creating a better life.

When a job situation or personal relationship doesn’t work out, we can take the opportunity to reflect on our own behavior and the other person’s behavior and make healthy observations about what went wrong, what went right, and what could be improved upon for next time. The truth is that, fundamentally, life is not a competition– it’s a cooperation event.

When I do my own work to further myself along life’s path, in some way that helps someone else along their path. If I spend great portions of my time beating myself up for mistakes I “should have known better” than to do, then I’m not making meaningful contributions to those around me. However, if I’m able to use Edison’s perspective and view my mistakes as learning experiences, then I’m able to move forward with new insights and knowledge that will help improve my life when I find myself in similar situations again. That’s how we learn and grow and move along the path toward a purposeful and meaningful life.

So what’s your perspective?  If you’re curious about how music therapy and GIM fit into the picture, contact me anytime.  I’m always happy to answer questions!