“Mistakes are meant for you to learn from.” – Deji Adiatu

The mistake is perhaps the most overrated thing in life.

I’m as guilty as most at overrating mistakes. When I make one, I feel like taking to my own head with a crowbar. It’s as though the mistake is an indicator that I’m incapable, even broken. Deji reminds me that the only thing mistakes indicate is that none of us are perfect.

If we were, we would be born with the skills, knowledge and self-awareness to start doing what we love as a vocation immediately. No need to learn or practice anything.

So be aware of your emotional response to a mistake. Let the emotion happen, then take some deep breaths and review what you actually did. You’ll discover that the “mistake” is actually a guide pointing you toward the most correct result for you.

Or, perhaps, that it wasn’t a mistake at all, Instead, it could be a revelation of your own way of doing things. It only seems like a mistake because it doesn’t match up with what everyone else has told you about how things are meant to work.

Want to hear more about how Deji Adiatu got an acting gig on The Great Gatsby while helping people find jobs? Listen to his episode of The Paid to Play Podcast!