Why "Mistakes" Are Progress

I'm often most inspired to write after I read something that lights me up. You know what I'm taking about -- that feeling of excitement and electricity running through your veins. That spark. The subtle smile that comes across your face because suddenly you see things more clearly. That clarity? That's what I call a mindset shift.

Today's shift was inspired by the following:

"I chose and my world was shaken. So what? The choice may have been mistaken; the choosing was not."

– Stephen Sondheim

Decisions often feel finite. They feel risky, like there's no turning back. Once we take a step forward, taking a step to the side -- or perhaps even backwards -- feels and sounds alarming. Isn't the path forward supposed to be linear and always on the up and up? Be honest... even if you know the process isn't linear, do you still hold yourself to an unreasonably high standard, only considering your best decisions or choices to be those that created a 100% positive outcome?

What about those decisions that didn't lead to a good outcome, at least at first? How do you view those? Do you tell yourself that you're a failure? Does that one choice or decision immediately become a mistake in your eyes? Does all the bad negate the good?

If so, you're not alone. The mindset shift I want to offer you is this: "Wrong" choices or missteps aren't always mistakes. They're not a sign of failure. In fact, they're a sign of growth. They're a sign of change, and of progress. Every step we take, regardless of the outcome, is a step in the right direction.

Who's to say the choice that seemed like an error wasn't the necessary first step in achieving what's to come, who you're meant to be and what you're meant to do?

You can always try again. Begin again, and trust the process — and your progress.

Comment below or send me an email at sofia@sofiaadler.com