9 Powerful Lessons We Can Learn From Our Mistakes

Facing mistakes often takes us straight to the heart of our fears. And when we experience and face those fears, they can disappear. 

When we are stuck and admit that we can't do it alone it sends a signal and opens the door for help to show up. People, resources, and solutions will appear, especially when we ask for help.

When we experience the consequences of mistakes, we get a clear message about which of our efforts are working -- and which are not. 

Many times we can trace mistakes to recurring patterns of belief or behavior -- things we do, say, and think over and over again. 

Ask yourself:  "How can I use this experience?"; "What will I do differently next time?"; "How will I be different in the future?" 

Sometimes our instinctive reaction to a mistake is to shift blame elsewhere: "It's not my fault." 

Taking responsibility for a failure may not be fun. But the act of doing so points out what we can do differently next time. Our actions have a huge influence on the quality of our lives.

Mistakes often happen when we break promises, over-commit, agree to avoid conflict or fail to listen fully. Big mistakes often start as small errors. 

Mistakes can be a signal that our words and our actions are out of alignment. In that case, we can re-examine our intentions, reconsider our commitments, and adjust our actions.