Celebrate mistakes that are made

Al Franken is quoted as saying, “Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.” I believe Franken was wise in saying this. Oftentimes, we look at our mistakes with a layer of regret and shame. A great deal of energy that can be channeled to more positive areas of our life is often wasted in the process. Instead, we can celebrate our mistakes! Our energy can be used to learn, grow and correct the mistakes we make. Here are some reasons that each mistake is worth celebrating.

• Celebration allows us to notice the mistake. It can take a lot of energy to hide mistakes. This is energy that can be channeled into fixing the mistake instead of hiding it. Instead of covering your mistake up, celebrate it out in the open.

• Mistakes are valuable feedback. Some of the most valuable lessons that I have learned in my own life have been learned from making a mistake. Mistakes happen, and they are part of the learning process that we must all go through. Mistakes are both more interesting and more instructive than most successes.

• Mistakes demonstrate that we are taking risks. If you play it safe in life, you will rarely make mistakes. Instead, show that you are stretching the limit of your abilities. Each mistake helps demonstrate this. When we stretch the limit of our abilities, we risk, learn, progress and grow as individuals.

• Celebrating mistakes reminds us that it's OK to make them. We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Tell yourself that it is OK to make mistakes. Celebrate your mistake and remember that you can learn from each and every mistake. By remembering that it is OK to make a mistake, we can admit to it and correct it.

• Celebrating mistakes includes everyone. It is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes. Instead of blaming others for your mistakes, notice each mistake and find a way to work with the people around you in order to correct it. Involving everyone can improve your circumstances a great deal.

• Mistakes occur only when we aim at a clear goal. When aiming, you cannot miss a target that doesn't exist. If there is no target, there would be no concern for missing it. Each mistake reminds us that we are doing something great. Each mistake affirms that we have a plan and goals. Even if we fall short sometimes, at least we have the goals to begin with.

• Mistakes happen only when we are committed to making things work. Mistakes correlate to a commitment of quality. After all, if you aren't committed to something, making a mistake wouldn't be much of an issue. Being willing to be held accountable for your mistakes shows that you are committed to whatever you are doing in life.

• Celebrating mistakes cuts the problem down to size. When we make a mistake, we often spend a great deal of time and energy focusing on regret, worry and remorse. We, as people, tend to not only have a problem with the mistake we made, but also with ourselves for making the mistake. Instead of doing this, celebrate your mistake and eliminate the layer of concern. By doing this, you can correct your mistake and move forward.

Kyle Hawkey is a student program coordinator for the University of Arizona Yuma. He can be reached at khawkey@email.arizona.edu.