"You must learn from the mistakes of others. You will never live long enough to make them all yourself."
— Unknown
It was when I was too dumb to understand the world, the people around me, and myself. I was unaware of how the world works, of how I had to work, and of how I could deal with it all.
I stood up and took the path everyone takes—fail, make mistakes, learn, and move on. That’s what life is. You fail, and fail, and fail again. But in the end, you learn and grow.
That’s why I often say, “School gives you the lessons and examines you. Life examines you and then teaches you the lessons. That’s why you fail in life.”
There’s no person alive who hasn’t made mistakes in their life at least once. I bet it’s more than once. I have failed and made mistakes in my life that I couldn’t count. Yet, here are 11 of them I think will help you in your life.
0. Health comes first.
I made a mistake when COVID was at its peak. I was quarantined for a month, and in between, I binged Netflix, played video games, ate anything, and did everything that would hamper my health. I spend my whole day and night in bed without sleeping.
I paid a huge cost for doing these things. I was diagnosed with UTI, an infection in your bladder. It causes such severe stomach pain that you become helpless to move your body. You become dependent on others.
I realised it was a mistake when I was admitted to the hospital, lying in bed for 2 days. It was hard for me to move. On the third day, I was filled with energy and saline water. It’s hard to forget the pain I was in.
For the next 30 days, I ate different kinds of medicines and received multiple injections. Believe me, it was tough to stand and walk. Finally, everything was fine. My body was fit and healthy again. That day, I decided not to give power to anything that would hamper my health.
The lesson: “Health outweighs all other blessings so much that one may really say that a healthy beggar is happier than an ailing king.” — Arthur Schopenhauer (Wisdom of Life).
Health is wealth.
1. Action is more than information.
I gave more credit to details and never took action on them. Inaction is my biggest mistake. Due to a lack of action, I left many important tasks and projects pending.
Because of my inactions, I’ve failed in exams, in work, in life, and in places where action is required.
The best part and the sad part is that action is required everywhere, wherever you go. Best because those who are action takers will stand out everywhere, and sad because those who don’t take action will keep failing in life. Action is a must, even if you fail a lot.
The lesson: “Education without application is just entertainment.” – Tim Sanders. If you want entertainment, then keep on seeking information and fail for the whole life. If you take actions on them, you might fail for once, but it will be worth failing because you learn and move on with it. Take action now!
2. Family is your priority.
I never took my family seriously. I was not there when they needed me. The thing is, when you die, your employer or other people won’t be there as much as your family will be. They will be the ones who will remember you the most, and I think that’s all that matters—who remembers you the most after your death—your family will.
I have a strong regret about not spending much time with them. I won’t let that happen again. My family is my priority.
The lesson: "Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life." — J.K. Rowling. Your family will be there for you whenever you need them without wanting anything in return, and so you need to be there for them.
3. Friends bring you joy.
I didn’t understand the value of friendship. I said bad things to my friends, even though they haven't done anything wrong. Still, they were the ones who lifted me. I was the friend who never liked to be friends but needed it the most.
I made a mistake in not understanding my friends. You don’t do the same.
The lesson: "A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." — Bernard Meltzer. The best time to make friends is before you need them. Don’t lose the joy of having friends behind.
4. Money matters.
Everyone told me money matters, but I didn’t believe them until I myself realised it matters. Indeed, money is not everything, but it can give you things that nothing else can. I didn’t value it, so I lost it once, and it wasn’t a small amount; it was $150.
It taught me the biggest lesson about money — Money can buy happiness. Money can buy happiness when you have a goal of what you want from money.
The lesson: "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart." — Jonathan Swift. Money can buy you happiness when you use it in that way. It could bring things to make you happy enough.
5. Stop blaming.
Blaming is the worst mistake I made. I blamed others for almost everything bad that happened in my life. I blamed my partner, my people, and my friends for everything. I didn’t realise every single fault was on me. The person I would have blamed was only me. Saying it again, it’s my worst mistake.
The lesson: You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes. — John Wooden. Think twice before blaming others because most of the time, you are the only one who needs to be blamed.
6. Understand love.
I thought I was weak in maintaining relationships. I was wrong. The truth was, I didn't understand love as my partner does. This fits in every type of relationship I have—with my partner, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and others. I am not weak in maintaining relationships. I just don’t know how to do it. Thanks to my partner, as she taught me to understand love and strengthen my relationships with people.
The lesson: “Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Franklin P. Jones. Love is born from understanding it. You can understand love when you see how much your loved ones are putting into loving you.
7. Appreciate more than you do.
I asked for a lot but didn’t appreciate it when I got it. Instead, I asked for more. I didn’t value what I already had. The thing is to be grateful for the day only; it’s precious, it’s a gift of God. Be grateful for who you are right now, be grateful for how you live, and be grateful for what you have.
Say with me, “I am grateful for the day.” “I am grateful for who I am.” “I am grateful for what I have.”
The lesson: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy. Appreciate more than you do.
8. Smokers are not bad.
I used to think that people who smoke are bad. I was wrong. It doesn't reveal one’s character. It doesn’t point out how the person is. The only wrong is that it's just a bad way to relieve stress.
The lesson: A single stroke of smoke doesn’t reveal one’s character. You know them by talking and connecting with the person.
9. Procrastinate, but for the wrong things.
My twenty fruitful years have gone and left me with one regret. The regret of not doing things on time. I could have done those things in a better way if I didn’t procrastinate on them. I gave more time to binge-watch Netflix and play video games.
With that, I made a rule to overcome procrastination. The rule is, I will procrastinate on the wrong things. Like if I want to watch an episode on Netflix, I will say I will watch it tomorrow. I delay it as much as I can.
The lesson: “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin.
Procrastinate, but for the wrong things.
10. Health again comes first.
I again took my health lightly. Shame on me. I couldn’t make my promise. I again sacrificed my health for playing video games. I played all night and didn’t sleep. I again barely moved from my bed. I made this mistake twice. I knew I had to take care of my health to survive well, but I didn’t because I didn’t realise how much it would affect me in the future.
Even after going through such a serious disease (UTI), I fucked up. I found myself again in severe pain and with a strong fever. Plus, vomiting all night here and there for days.
I now wake up at 6 AM straight. I move my body and do some squats and push-ups. I eat a healthy meal 4 times a day. I walk a lot. I do these activities every day. I know doing this will lead me to a healthy life, and I want that.
The lesson: Eat well. Drink good. Move a lot. Unlock your healthy life.
Stay healthy,
Sumit,
Curator of Simple Digest
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"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
What are thoughts on making mistakes and failing on them?
Thank you for this helpful reminder. #3 for me is so important now. I used to say no a lot to my friends thinking I needed to be more productive, but now that I am going away for university I appreciate every single moment with them. Have a nice day!