Learn from…

Learn from this, learn from that, don’t do this, don’t do that. Is there a difference between the two? I think there is, I think there is a HUGE difference, and today I want to talk about it.

I grew up with the freedom to be wrong. No, I don’t think my parents/family enjoyed if I made a mess, if I spilled something, or if I broke something. However, I feel that when I was wrong, I was often asked what I learned, and if I would do things the same, or differently given the same opportunity again.

I always reported what I learned when I knew right away, or honestly said I wasn’t sure what I learned, if anything. When I mentioned this, I was encouraged to give it time, see how things shook out, and observe what might give me insight in to what I learned. As an adult, I recognize this is a practice in patience, it was true then, and it is still true now. Sometimes you have to wait to see what you learn.

I realize, that some people were not as fortunate as me to have the support of a grandmother that was patient and willing to discuss things with me. Some people could not make mistakes in their formative years, they could not learn from their mistakes, and they have done/do all kinds of hiding from making mistakes further on down the line in life, to the point that as adults they suffer and there is a lot of fall out from it. This saddens me, but it also make me more appreciative of what I had.

Knowing the freedom of being wrong, has encouraged me to raise my kids the same, to be okay with being wrong, to learn from it, to grow from it. Mistakes and accidents happen, we don’t always make the correct choice first time around, often not the second time either, but if there is freedom to learn from our mistakes, we look for answers, solutions, or alternatives much quicker and much easier, don’t dwell or harbor guilt/ill feelings as long, if any, and we develop a courage to explore, create, to try, try, try. We evolve, mature, our character grows, and often we learn humility, like freedom, those are beautiful things.

Did you, or do you have freedom in being wrong? Can you identify what you learned, and do you observe to see how that develops in to more answers?

~Erin