Making the Most of Mistakes

“Mistakes are the accidents of activity and the risks you take to get something done.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

In another blog on creativity I share about how many times I had to re-do the pictures I was drawing in order to cartoon the bible.  As humans we gain satisfaction from our accomplishments, no matter how small they are.  This is a good thing, but it is also a good thing that we are pressing on towards perfection, even though few of us will ever reach perfection on this side of Heaven.

The act of pressing towards perfection though causes us to achieve greater things.  After redrawing all of my earliest cartoons several times, I can look back to my early work and see all of my mistakes.  I don’t look at those mistakes and criticize myself.  I just acknowledge that that is where I was at on the journey.

Encourage the kids to see themselves as “masterpieces” “works of art” in progress.  As long as they never stop pressing on towards perfection they can be satisfied with all of their accomplishments.  When you are pressing on, mistakes are never really mistakes.

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