We are all after success in one way or another in our lives. We always want to make the right choices, hit set targets, and avoid any form of failure or setback. But what if I told you trying to avoid mistakes is key to success? How we grow from those very mistakes defines our true potential. Mistakes are failures and hence are not the end of the road but stepping-stones toward growth and learning, and finally success. As Mahatma Gandhi once quoted, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” Mistakes signify the insignia of being truly human: a reflection of one’s boldness to try new things and the guts that force him or her out of his or her comfort zones. If we only desire to avoid mistakes, all our lives, then that curbs our potential for growth, learning, and discovery.

Mistakes are the Best Teachers

One of the most creative minds of the 20th century was that of Albert Einstein, who once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” This says a great deal about a simple fact: mistakes happen along with innovation and progress. When we allow ourselves to make mistakes, we open up room for learning and personal development. While mistakes themselves cannot teach us what does work, perhaps more importantly, they drive us to find out what does. Just think of Thomas Edison’s invention of the lightbulb after some thousands of failed experiments. Upon being asked about his failure many times over, Edison replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” It was this very perseverance through repeated mistakes that resulted in perhaps the most important invention in history. The same happens to be the principle involved in our personal and professional lives. In today’s fast-moving world, where perfectionism is glorified, mistakes can easily be made to appear shameful or something to be avoided at all costs. But the moment one ceases to be afraid of making mistakes and instead embraces them as part of the process, well, the chances of growth become tremendous.

Embracing Failure within the Indian Context

India’s history is ordinary yet filled with examples of people who faced repeated failures before achieving extraordinary success: the story of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, fondly remembered as India’s “Missile Man” and who served as the 11th President of the country. Before all these successes, Dr. Kalam received a serious setback in the early career. Under his leadership, the SLV-3 project contemplated at developing a satellite launch vehicle and resulted in failure when it crashed into the Bay of Bengal. Still, that did not deter Dr. Kalam from giving up so easily. He learned from the mistakes of that mission and ultimately succeeded in leading the team to a triumphant launch in 1980. Dr. Kalam’s failure-to-success story precisely signifies his understanding that “If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means ‘First Attempt In Learning’.” This anecdote upholds the virtue of learning from mistakes rather than being identified by them.

Growth Beyond the Fear of Making Mistakes

The fear of making mistakes freezes us into not taking on new opportunities in business, education, or personal relationships. We are taught from a rather young age in India to avoid mistakes. Our system-from exams at schools and colleges to interviews for job placement-will reward those that get things “right” the first time. And that sometimes stifles creativity and risk-taking. Take the story of Ratan Tata, one of India’s most respected industrialists. Under his chairmanship, Tata Motors launched the Tata Nano, ambitious to bring into the roads the cheapest car in the world. Despite high expectations on the car, Nano failed commercially and faced several issues like poor sales and safety concerns. Some thought the project was a failure. However, Ratan Tata did not stop here but looked towards the lessons from this experience and once famously quoted, “I don’t believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.” This is quintessential of how growth from mistakes rather than cribbing over it leads to long-term growth and success.

From Setbacks to Comebacks: International Examples

Internationally speaking, one cannot speak of growth from mistakes without pointing to Steve Jobs. When the dissenting members of Apple forced Jobs out of the company in the mid-1980s, many perceived that situation as a colossal failure. But instead of resting on a mistake from the past, Jobs used it to grow. He started NeXT, which had very important roles in future technological development, and when he came back to Apple, remade it into the trillion-dollar dynamo it is today. As he looked back, Jobs once reflected, “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” The story of Jobs proves that mistakes-even monumental ones-can fuel incredible growth if we look at them as a path to learning and growth.

Turning Personal Setbacks into Growth

At an individual level, a lot of us have faced personal or professional setbacks that might have felt at the time like some pretty major failings. And yet, it is those moments that are so often the most powerful opportunities for growth. Think of a time when you got turned down for a job, were criticized, or when a relationship had gone astray. It’s in moments like these where it’s easy to get disheartened. But if we look at every failure as a lesson, then we learn a lot about ourselves and the world outside. Remember the words of Indian spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, who said, “Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead. If you win, you lead. If you lose, you can guide.” That is a wisdom that invites us to take risks, to make mistakes, for it is through success or failure that we acquire experience.

The Power of Resilience

Resilience-the art of getting up after a fall-is the key to growing from mistakes. We find the essence of resilience in the famous Japanese proverb “Nana korobi, ya oki,” or “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”. It is not the mistake that defines us, but our ability to rise, reflect, and try again.

Conclusion: Growth Over Perfection

Mistakes do not stall one’s life journey; rather, they offer an opportunity. The trick does not lie in keeping away from them but in embracing and learning from them. Not only will we feel nearer to success by accepting our mistakes and learning from them, but also we will emerge wiser, stronger, and more resilient. As Nelson Mandela would say, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Mistakes do occur but to learn and grow from them is left to chance. So let’s just celebrate our mistakes; after all, those are the real reasons for growth.

Learn more about how to become a Top Performer at: ORL Leadership Summit 2024.

ORL Leadership Summit: Transformative Experience for Otorhinolaryngologists and more.

Dr. Prahlada N.B
MBBS (JJMMC), MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh). 
MBA (BITS, Pilani), MHA, 
Executive Programme in Strategic Management (IIM, Lucknow)
Senior Management Programme in Healthcare Management (IIM, Kozhikode)
Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Leadership and Innovation (MIT, USA)
Advanced Certificate in AI for Digital Health and Imaging Program (IISc, Bengaluru). 

Senior Professor and former Head, 
Department of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Cochlear Implant Surgery. 
Basaveshwara Medical College & Hospital, Chitradurga, Karnataka, India. 

My Vision: I don’t want to be a genius.  I want to be a person with a bundle of experience. 

My Mission: Help others achieve their life’s objectives in my presence or absence!

My Values:  Creating value for others. 

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