This question took me some thinking when I first read it, but I think I've reached a solid conclusion as to why people are afraid to make mistakes. First and foremost, mistakes are seen as negative. When you think of a mistake, you probably think of dropping a plate, or if you're closer to my age, maybe making a spelling error on a test. On a larger scale, a mistake may also be a petty argument with a friend or relative, or realizing that you were incorrect... in any case, the bottom line is that mistakes are bad, despite the learning benefits they can have.
I'm sure most of you know the mantra of "don't touch a hot stove". Well, mistakes work the same way. Most times, when they teach you a lesson, it's a painful one- maybe not in the physical sense, but certainly in the mental sense. I feel like most people are afraid of the lesson they may learn from making a mistake. In a way, they're afraid of having to prove something they already knew deep down. They're afraid of having to be foolish enough to doubt a gut feeling. I may be alone in that statement, but I always feel foolish for ever doubting my own mind once I've made a conscious mistake. Most of my mistakes tend to be lapses in judgement- misjudged character, or something I could've phrased differently. Everyone has different perception of the word "mistake", so for you it may be something entirely different. I just tend to hate the foolish feeling that comes with the newfound knowledge. I think I've come up with the perfect example, too. Have you ever found out that you've been miss-spelling a simple word for your entire life? I had a friend who constantly mixed up 'to' and 'too' and had been doing so with confidence his entire life- he didn't realize until he was 17 that he had been wrong, and it was extremely humiliating. Even though he learned the truth, he also learned that he was a moron... and that's why people are afraid of making mistakes. When you make a mistake, you are held accountable for it, regardless of the knowledge you gain- and no one wants to be held accountable for their own stupidity. - Maddie
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This post is inspired by something my dad shared on facebook a little while back that I found rather intriguing. It was a post entitled "40 Questions Everyone Is Afraid To Ask", and me being curious, read it. In this list I found some excellent questions- and I'd like to take time to answer a few in this post. I may also write a follow up to this post, depending on how things go. Let's get into it!
What is the difference between living and existing? I believe that the difference between living and existing lies in how you live your life. Everyone exists, everyone has a life- but not everyone lives. The difference lies in how you choose to spend your time. When you're only existing, I'd imagine you're following the herd, working some boring job and not living up to your true potential. That, I believe, is where the line is drawn. You begin living when you live up to your full potential, and are happy doing so. So many people get trapped in life, thinking that they're meant to be like everyone else- and in doing so, lose the crucial sense of individuality that could've helped them live. Today, everyone is concerned about fitting in with everyone else, and around me I see so few people who are happy to be themselves and to do what truly makes them happy. I am proud to say that I am unapologetically myself, and for the most part, I'm a happy person. Everyone has their stress days, and when I say people live unhappily... that isn't what I'm referring to. When I say people live unhappily, I'm talking about people who are permanently embittered and constantly complaining about one thing or another... the people who can't stop and smell the roses without also saying how bland and ugly roses are. This answer was a bit longer than I anticipated, but that's okay. Maybe I'll just do this one question for this post, since it took up so much space. I'd like to close this post out with a poem I found online that I think summarizes this question perfectly. So many people walk this earth, With purpose in their eyes, But in their heart of hearts they know, What they’re living is a lie, The alarm goes off at 5 am, Like every other day, So they can walk into a job they hate, Because they need the pay, All time does it take from them, But it never seems to give, Always waiting for the day to come, When they finally start to live, I’m all too scared that one day soon, I’ll become just like the rest, Only walking with the crowd, Because my dreams have been oppressed, That one day I’ll look back on life, At the opportunities that I missed, And realise I never truly lived, All I did was just exist. |
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