Don't let the mistakes define who you are

We all want to be successful, and that's why we get up and go to work every day. But what we don't always realize is that failure is an important part of the process. It's easy to get so focused on our success that we miss out on the opportunity to learn and grow from our mistakes.

"Balancing success and failure is a tricky thing". The last thing you want to do is to burn yourself out by trying to be all things to all people. As it turns out if you let yourself relax, take a look at your challenges, and allow yourself to fail, you'll have more fun than you've ever had.

If you make a mistake, ask yourself these three questions to help you learn and grow from the experience.

1. What's my next move?

A mistake is a gift. When you see that mistake, you can start a whole new process of learning and growing. To stop the damage you've caused, you need to continue moving forward, and that means you have to find a way to learn from your mistake.

Every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn something new. Ask yourself what your next move is. Is there something you can learn from your mistake? It could be a change you need to make to avoid making it again in the future. But even if you don't see a mistake, that doesn't mean it didn't happen. So if you want to learn from it, ask yourself, "What did I learn?"

2. What did I learn about myself?

We often feel embarrassed when we make a mistake. There's nothing wrong with this reaction, but you don't need to do it. A mistake can teach you a lot about yourself, so don't hold on to the shame or embarrassment. Rather, let it go and allow yourself to learn from the experience.

Consider all the things you could learn from the mistake. Maybe you learned you're too confident. Maybe you learned you shouldn't give your money away to total strangers. Maybe you learned you need to follow through on what you promised others. Maybe you learned that in certain situations you need to be more direct. The possibilities are endless, and that's why mistakes are so important.

If you have a chance to learn from your mistake, jump on it. Make sure you ask yourself the key questions so you can develop as a person. If you're too ashamed to ask, how can you expect to learn from the mistake?

3. What did I learn about others?

You're never too good to make a mistake, so don't feel too bad about having made one. Don't let it define you. A mistake can teach you a lot about yourself and others.

That mistake might have led to a change in your approach to others. For example, you might have realized you need to accept others' advice and opinions more readily. Or maybe you realized you need to stop shutting others out.

Perhaps you realized that your method of decision-making needs to be revised. Maybe you realized you need to allow yourself to become more transparent.

Whatever the mistake, don't shy away from it. Take a look at it and use the opportunity to grow. The more you do that, the more people around you will feel respected, and the more likely they will associate with you. That's a win-win situation.

Build a habit of learning from mistakes

Sometimes, we tend to build momentum and keep moving forward, but if you let yourself take a step back every once in a while, you'll be able to do the right thing for yourself.

Every successful person on the planet has made mistakes. We've all made a decision or done something that wasn't ideal. Some people don't give themselves time to reflect on their actions.

We're all capable of learning from our mistakes. There's a difference between learning from a mistake and letting it define us.

That's why it's important to build a habit of reflecting and learning from your mistakes. This will keep you from getting trapped in an endless cycle of doing the wrong thing without feeling bad about it.

Our mistakes are our chance to learn. As we take a look at our mistakes, we're not embarrassed. Instead, we're empowered to create a better future for ourselves.

If you're reading this, I'm guessing you've made a mistake or two. It's not that uncommon. So stop feeling embarrassed. It happens to everyone. The key to learning from mistakes is to not dwell on them and, instead, use them as an opportunity to grow.