“Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.”~Henry Ford
We lambast ourselves (and others) for mistakes. “What was I thinking?” we lament. “How could I (or you) have been so stupid?” Yet it is often our mistakes that finally get us to where we need and want to go…if we let them.
Somehow we’ve determined that genius happens automatically and without failure on the way. We see the successful project or painting, and conveniently forget the hours of misled effort or piles of discarded canvases that helped to birth the success. Or, even worse, we allow geniuses the luxury of mistakes and missteps, but we have no compassion for our own mistakes along the way…or the mistakes of those who matter to us in work and in life.
When we can remember that mistakes are part of the path to genius and success we allow much more creativity and abundance into our lives. The freedom we give ourselves and others to experiment and play is actually freedom to succeed.
Think about a recent “mistake.” How can you reframe it and discover how it has or will help you achieve something worthwhile?
Where have you seen a mistake be the step just prior to achievement? Where can you allow yourself (and others) more freedom to make their necessary mistakes?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For help in discovering your path to genius and success, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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