The most important thing that I have ever discovered about my learning is that I have to make mistakes in order to learn new things. As hard as it is to know that making mistakes comes with the learning process, it is also helpful. Where there are mistakes, there is always room for growth and improvement. However, this can also be difficult because nobody wants to make mistakes all the time.
It can be especially hard to join an activity where other people have already accomplished what you are trying to accomplish. For example, when I was first learning to waterskii I could not figure out how to stand up. One day in the summer I took a friend on the boat. She decided to try waterskiing for the first time, and on her very first try she was able to do it.
Even though I was happy for her, I was also jealous. I had been trying to skii without success for much longer than she had and I felt that it was only fair that I should be able to do it first. For the next few days I refused to try waterskiing again because I was scared that I would make mistakes and embarrass myself.
However, I eventually decided that learning how to waterskii was more important to me than the embarrassment I would save myself by not even attempting to learn. I used my knowledge that it is natural to make mistakes, and with hard work and lots of trial and error, I learned to waterskii. I would not have been able to do this if I did not allow myself to mess up and then learn from the things I did wrong.
I have realized that It is important to have enough self confidence going into any new experience that even with the awareness that I make mistakes, I can brush them off and keep moving. No matter how hard I try, I know that I can never learn or improve if I never give myself the opportunity to do anything wrong.
It can be especially hard to join an activity where other people have already accomplished what you are trying to accomplish. For example, when I was first learning to waterskii I could not figure out how to stand up. One day in the summer I took a friend on the boat. She decided to try waterskiing for the first time, and on her very first try she was able to do it.
Even though I was happy for her, I was also jealous. I had been trying to skii without success for much longer than she had and I felt that it was only fair that I should be able to do it first. For the next few days I refused to try waterskiing again because I was scared that I would make mistakes and embarrass myself.
However, I eventually decided that learning how to waterskii was more important to me than the embarrassment I would save myself by not even attempting to learn. I used my knowledge that it is natural to make mistakes, and with hard work and lots of trial and error, I learned to waterskii. I would not have been able to do this if I did not allow myself to mess up and then learn from the things I did wrong.
I have realized that It is important to have enough self confidence going into any new experience that even with the awareness that I make mistakes, I can brush them off and keep moving. No matter how hard I try, I know that I can never learn or improve if I never give myself the opportunity to do anything wrong.