No Mistakes
January 20, 2025 Uncategorized 0 comment ipierre25
When asked if I could ever go back and change anything in my life I have always confidently said no. I have always believed, no matter the situation, that everything happens for a reason. No matter how embarrassing or sad something was I always look back at it, knowing something good came from it. That made it hard for me to think of a mistake I made when I sat down to write this essay. After some thinking, I realized that I had made quite the mistake when it came to my way of thinking.
While I did believe all mistakes happened for a reason, I was also terrified to make any. Growing up, I was worried about sounding stupid or doing something embarrassing. I was always the youngest in my whole family, and always felt like I could never do things like my older brother or my older cousins. I felt like no one took me seriously when I spoke. I felt like I was being laughed at if I did something funny. I learned that it would be easier if I just refrained from doing things that might turn embarrassing. I had small experiences when I was younger that made me feel that way, but nothing anyone else really remembered. The small embarrassments stayed with me for years after and would play back in my head whenever there was a slim opportunity that something like that could happen again. The thought of making a mistake in front of people was something I avoided at all costs, because the opinions of others were far more important than my own. I was always thinking about what other people around me were thinking. “Did I make an unfunny joke?” or “Are they all secretly judging me right now?” Cautiously watching my words and moves took up a big part of my day for years.
My eighth grade year I had just moved to a new school and swore I would try sports because my old school didn’t really have any. I had done little things like dance and gymnastics, but I had not done team sports. I tried to tell myself, no matter how nervous I was, that I would do it. Then I started getting in my head about it, “These people have been playing their whole life”, or “I don’t know anyone, I’ll probably look stupid”. It all crept in and I just trashed the idea completely. Time and time again I realized I had let another opportunity pass me because of my fear of messing up. Looking back some of the main people I was afraid of looking dumb in front of are now some of my best friends. I didn’t know that then, but playing sports could’ve given me a friendship with them much sooner.
As I started my senior year, I discovered that was my mistake. When I was younger I spent so much time worrying about not making any mistakes or looking dumb when I did something that it stopped me from having more experiences and opportunities. Making mistakes leads to exciting new experiences and I wish it didn’t take me so long to realize that. When I was young I knew perfection isn’t achievable, so I thought it was easier to just not try at all. As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried breaking away from these bad habits and seeking out environments where mistakes can be made. I’ve tried new hobbies, made new friends, and most importantly made mistakes. Mistakes and uncomfortable situations are what leads to discoveries, experiences, and finding things you love, and they should become more normalized.
