Harnessing the Power of Mistakes

We all make mistakes; we're human, after all.

Too often, you may beat yourself up for the mistakes you make... whether they are as simple as getting a speeding ticket or as complicated as infidelity.

Mistakes happen in all situations: social interactions with others, making personal assumptions about the world, even dealing with your own emotions.

Dr. Johnny Lops, former team psychiatrist for the Brooklyn Nets, says that mistakes can actually be very empowering. He references a quote by Voltaire, "Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."

If you think you have all the answers in life, you're not harnessing the power of the mistakes that make you ask the hard questions.

But, as Dr. Lops says, before you know how to ask those questions, or which questions to ask, you have to be making mistakes. You have to be willing to be vulnerable and put yourself out there; to take risks. Trial and error is a process for a reason. 

As much as you'd like to sweep some mistakes under the rug, it's essential to identify when you've made a mistake, and learn from it. Be willing to improve going forward, but also be humbled by the mistake and inspired by it. 

What if you try, try and try again but simply can't persevere through something in your life? Are these repetitive mistakes helpful or to your detriment? According to Dr. Lops, it's OK to ask for help. 

You might not have had the tools to deal with certain situations up until this point. But, once given those tools, you now have a chance to get past that "hump in the road."

What is Dr. Lops top tip for accepting mistakes and moving on? Develop a healthier, neutral inner voice. If your inner voice is hostile or anxious, you're far more likely to chastise yourself for making those mis-steps. 

In the accompanying audio segment, Dr. Johnny Lops joins Naturally Savvy hosts Andrea Donsky and Lisa Davis to share how mistakes can be empowering, as well as the best ways to accept those mistakes and move on.