Mistakes Are What You Make Them

Believe it or not, putting together a high school newspaper can be stressful. There are articles to write, graphics to put in and layout, and problems seem to pop up out of nowhere at every turn. It’s not an easy task, and sometimes mistakes can be made. Mistakes such as the blunder I had last edition while writing a story on Hickman cheer.

 

Long story short, I made the mistake of not including every point of view in the article and ended up favoring one side, creating a swarm of confusion and misunderstanding around that particular story.

 

As I sat in the journalism room picking at my fingernails the way I always do when I’m stressed, it became apparent to me that maybe my mistake was not something to hang my head over, but could be turned into something else. Something better. Something positive.

 

You see, the thing about messing up is that it is bound to happen. Everybody makes mistakes. In the major leagues if you succeed only half of the time at the plate, you’re considered remarkable. A very smart coach of mine (hey dad) preached over and over to his athletes that mistakes are bound to happen and there’s really no way of avoiding them. The real factor that is up to you is how you let your mistakes affect you the next time around.

 

Sure, it’s simple enough to just give up and hang your head, lamenting over the fact that you aren’t perfect. But I think that’s too easy. The real challenge is in letting go of that mistake and pushing it into the past. All the past does is teach, but there’s still a whole future ahead of you just waiting to be lived.

 

Without mistakes, how would we learn for the next time around? I know I’m certainly a better journalist today because of my slip-up last month. Therefore, my message to anyone reading this is simply it is okay to make a mistake. As long as you are open to the possibility of another chance in the future and learning for the next time, making a mistake can be a great opportunity.