We Should Celebrate Our Mistakes

Society demands us to be perfect. But mistakes are a good thing.

As a perfectionist, I struggle with mistakes. I overthink, I worry excessively, and I go out of my way to avoid making a mistake at all costs. Yet ironically — all of this nervous energy is what causes me to end up making even more mistakes.

This is something I have been aware of since I was a teenager. Since then, I’ve been better at not letting myself dwell on the past or become hung up on “regrets.” However, I still find myself nitpicking all of my actions and fearing that I’m going to do something that can’t be undone.

I have to keep reminding myself that mistakes are a part of life. Mistakes are a sign that you are growing, learning, and challenging yourself. If you aren’t making mistakes, then it means that you have become too comfortable with standing still, and that you are stuck in a rut.

When something doesn’t work out how you planned, it can be a great learning experience. You may not be able to put the pieces back together, but you can still find a way to glue them back in place. And so forth…

But I think that we should take it a step further. Not only should mistakes be accepted, they should be celebrated. Mistakes are, I would argue, even better than perfection.

I heard this song today called “Beautiful Mistakes” and it really struck me. Mistakes really are beautiful. And perfection is ugly.

Your past is messy. You’ve made a lot of poor choices. You have expressed bad judgment. Your present is a mess and your future is probably going to be even messier. You’re going to keep on making some awful decisions. It won’t be pretty. And that’s something worth celebrating.

Messy is another word for “unique.” Those moments when you were being stupid, impulsive, and you weren’t thinking straight — actually, you were being incredibly brave. You were taking risks. You were exploring new paths. You were living your life. You were making your own rules. Keep on doing that.

Keep on being silly, and stupid, and reckless. Because you were actually being brave. And you know that you would keep on repeating those “regrets” over and over, if only you were brave enough…