We all strive to be life long learners in life. However, our ego comes in the way of our learning. We all make mistakes and probably learn from it. Some times we learn and at other times we do not. What comes in the way of our learning is our ego. Acceptance of our mistake is the first step in learning.

Many a time, we live in denial. We refuse to accept that we have made a mistake. This may be because, we are the eldest in the family and are feeling ashamed to accept it or may be, we are the boss at work and consider it below our prestige to accept our mistake.

Acceptance is the first step in the learning process. Once, we accept our mistake, we may be able to realise what went wrong and why ,and then learn from it. However, when we live in denial, acceptance itself becomes a challenge and then the question of learning does not arise.

If we notice children around us, we realise that they accept their mistakes ,faster than adults. They are not conditioned by the environment around them ,like us. They are ok to make mistakes, accept them, learn from them and move on.

But, as adults, we get very much conditioned by the environment around us. We are guided by the image, we want to project in the society ,around us. Our ego gets inflated ,as we grow from kids to adolescents and then adults. So ,even accepting a mistake we have committed ,becomes a daunting challenge for us.

Unless we are willing to accept a mistake, it may be very difficult to learn from it and not to repeat it, in our lives. What else could prevent us ,from taking this first basic step of acceptance. First, it could be ego, second it could be that we are not aware of our mistake and somebody needs to point it out ,to us.

While, at most times, we may be aware of the mistakes we do, there could be occasions, where we are not . But, this does not mean that we cannot seek feedback. It may be a good idea for us ,to seek guidance from people, more experienced than us.

We need to realise that we learn more from our mistakes, than our successes. In project management, it is always a practise ,to analyse a project after it is completed, to learn from the mistakes made, so that they are never repeated.

We need to do the same ,in life too. All of us are human and it is natural to make mistakes. What we need to learn is that ,accepting a mistake is the first step. Then ,we could understand the root cause and take preventive steps, so that we do not repeat the same mistake again.

As long as we consider life ,as a journey of continual learning, we may not hesitate to accept our mistakes. If we ever imagine that we have arrived in life, we may cease to learn. It is like a sportsperson. Even after winning an olympic gold medal, they are open to feedback and accept their mistakes and learn ,so that they can do better ,in the future.

Let us learn to accept from today.

S Ramesh Shankar

24th Dec 2024