on making mistakes
The year is 2003. Month, June. Day, 6th. Time, 9:01.
I’m sitting at my desk. Staring at the computer.
I log on to True African, and send myself the following SMS. Yes, I sent myself an SMS. No, I wasn’t mad.
No, I wasn’t.
The SMS says:
“Over six months I have called this place home.
And so it ends.
The future beckons.
Shall we proceed?
After all, it is only Destiny“
I still have the SMS to this day.
That day was the last day of formal employment for me. I was stepping out into the brave new world of being self-employed. You know, doing my own thing.
I was 20. I had fulfilled my dream of of owning my own company by 21. And I had beaten it by a solid year.
Everytime I remember those days, I remember the zeal, the youthful determination and excitement I had when I imagined all the possibilities life offered. I could see a world of success, recognition, fun happy times and cash flowing in.
Six years later, I’m a lot more sober, a lot more cautious. Fine, I had the success, I had the recognition, I had the fun happy times, and yes, cash did flow in. But, I made many many many mistakes along the way, and I’m still making some more fresh ones now as we go along.
Mistakes, unfortunately, are double-edge swords. Shiny little buggers that flash and glint in the darkness of uncertainty and inexperience. They can either lead to safety or to ruin. On the one hand, they help you grow, on the other hand, they can very very quickly lead to demise.
If I could go back and correct the mistakes I’ve made, teach myself the lessons I’ve learned, would I choose to? No. I don’t think so.
Why?
I need those mistakes. They brought me here, they sobered me up, they taught me to be the person I am:
They taught me that business is not always about making money. It’s also about giving money.
They taught me that being broke can be a very liberating and very enlightening experience.
They taught me that my own strength is never enough.
They taught me that I cannot do everything, however much props I give myself.
They taught me that vision without action is as bad as action without vision.
They taught me that even I have limits.
And in the hollow gut wrenching void that empties the mind, body and soul when defeat looms large, they taught me …
Many many things.
I’m 26, my next major dream, my next business milestone looms in 4 years time.
I have slightly under 4 years to achieve it, and yet I feel light years away.
Have I learned enough from my mistakes?
Have I learned to learn from my mistakes?
Have you learned enough from YOUR mistakes?
—
Rogue FM: Josh Kelley – Home to Me. (Beautiful guitar song. Thanks Val for mentioning this in some comment )
—
Offtopic:
Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.
- Denis WaitleyYou may make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you start blaming someone else
- AnonLearn from the mistakes of others-you can never live long enough to make them all yourself.
– John Luther
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13 Responses to “on making mistakes”
Leave a Reply
antipop on May 20th, 2009
Me, i never learn to be honest
Solomon King on May 20th, 2009
LOL. It’s kinda a disease isn’t it? Wait till you get into business yourself, you’ll see how important honesty is.
And by business I mean something like a consultancy where you interact a lot with your clients, not opening up a Mama Gundi’s kiosk.
Howdy, Antipop?
lulu on May 20th, 2009
i keep learning from my misitakes, and i am glad you wwent out earlyi am still thinking of going out to do my thing, employement is reaching its thethers end for me
Solomon King on May 20th, 2009
Care to share some of the things you’ve learned from your mistakes? And surprisingly, I’d like to say “doing your own thing” is not for everyone. It does come with a whole lot of issues to deal with.
Check this post out:
10 reality checks about owning a business
TRP on May 20th, 2009
learning from mistakes…Funny thing is that was the topic today…I just HATE making mistakes…It stays with me forever!! At 21, huh? I soo envy you!! am thinking about it…..
but thats a secret
Solomon King on May 20th, 2009
Trust me, if they didn’t stay with you forever, you’d make them over and over again. It’s that nagging annoying ooh-i-can’t-believe-i-let-that-happen reminder that keeps you on your toes.
And it ain’t a secret if you’ve told it to the world, lol.
The Apprentice on May 20th, 2009
Hmmm, you do know that the basic essence of being an entreprenuer means taking risks and the risk with that is your bound to make so many mistakes along the way. I think making mistakes isn’t the problem. The problem is not learning anything from them. And thats a problem we all make. As for your vision, always two there are. The Apprentice got your back. To infinity and beyond.
Solomon King on May 20th, 2009
Ain’t that the truth. To infinity indeed!
ebanZ on May 20th, 2009
King Solomon,
This is good stuff you’re posting here.
You are right when you say that “Doing own thing” is not for everyone.
This article adds weight and some learning insights for us all::
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/22/entrepreneur-psychology-franchise-ent-manage-cx_sb_0122berglashumptydumpty.html?partner=alerts
Solomon King on May 20th, 2009
Hello eBanz, Thank you for the kind words. I’ve looked through the link you posted and edited it, the link you posted had some stuff at the end that was killing it.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/22/entrepreneur-psychology-franchise-ent-manage-cx_sb_0122berglashumptydumpty.html
petesmama on May 22nd, 2009
You live, you learn. What you learn, you may not know till much later. For me, that is the maddening beauty of life.
Solomon King on May 22nd, 2009
Well said, Mama Pete.
Carsozy on May 22nd, 2009
Mistakes are a necessary ingrdient of the learning process and they make us stronger and sturdier like a battle hardened soldier, but if I could go back would I? Yes coz the one’s I’ve made are huge. question is what’s there to stop me from making the same mistakes over again coz the future that would remind me would be erased.