Sunday, February 20, 2011

Failures, Mistakes, And Tinkering


"From their errors and mistakes, the wise and good
learn wisdom for the future."

- Plutarch

The stress of academic and career perfection is enormous. And
this stress is imposed upon us at a very early age.

From the day on which we first enter school, we are Indoctrinated
to strive for a 100% grade in all of our tests, exams, homework,
and memorizations.

Later on, those of us who Chose to pursue a college or university
education were further faced with the burden of achieving a 4.0
grade point average.

And afterwards, when we finally enter society's workplace, we are
further expected to be 100% correct in all of our Decisions and
Actions. How many individuals have performed 99% of their
workplace or career tasks correctly only to lose a promotion, and
possibly even their job, because of one single and solitary failure?

The expectation of 100% success at all times in either our job
related or academic related world is not only unreasonable to
expect, but the stress of trying to achieve this sort of "perfection"
burdens many good, qualified, and dedicated individuals with a
wide variety of physical and mental illnesses.

This imposed Belief, that we must be 100% correct 100% of the
time is the process by which life "beats us down"...if we allow it.

Life is not a continuous rose-laden Path of never-ending perfection.
Life is a Path of Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering.

Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering are life's Trial-And-Error method
of Teaching.

All Trailblazers understand this Truth. All changers-of-history
understand this Truth. All those who hearken to the call to
experience new Horizons understand this Truth. And because these
Lone Wolfs understand this Truth, this Reality, they live their lives
according to a completely different set of rules. This is what enables
them to become Great Achievers and the Changers Of History.

These individuals realize that our Failures and Mistakes are a part
of the process by which we can measure our progress. This is why
they invest so many solitary hours Tinkering with their experiments
and ideas. For without knowing what is wrong , what does not work,
and which Paths are ill-fated, they have no way to truly measure
what is correct, proper, and successful.

When we accept the Reality that life is one continuous Road of
Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering, our mind becomes elevated to a
higher mental and spiritual plateau. By honestly knowing what is
incorrect, by way of first-hand experience, we no longer rely upon
Hopes, wishes, guesses, or second-hand Advice to keep us on the
Path of our Dreams. For we in fact know, by way of our personal
experience, those things which do not work. We also discover for
ourselves those Paths we should not Travel. We keep eliminating,
through the process of Alchemy, all that is unworkable until we are
finally left with the hidden pearl which we have been Seeking...the
"Eureka!" of our personal Dreams.

Those who do not acknowledge, and understand, this Eternal Truth
find themselves living by questionable assumptions, unsound
"Advice", and by the unfounded Opinions circulating throughout the
mainstream of society.

We cannot be an achiever if we are a follower...We cannot be an
Adventurer if we are a tourist...We cannot be a participant if we are
merely a spectator...We cannot be The Solution if we Choose to
remain an inherent part of the problem...We cannot stand out as
being someone special if we continue to hide amidst the crowd...
And, we cannot be knowledgeable if we do not Honestly "Know".

All Great Adventurers, and Changers Of History, have one thing
in common with each other. They are obsessed with the Passion
of their Dream! And it is because of this Passion, this Obsession,
that they welcome Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering as part of
their personal learning experience. Furthermore, they know that it
is just as important to recognize the "wrong Paths", which need to
be avoided, as it is to recognize the "right Path" when it ultimately
presents itself to them.

Even geniuses like Newton and Einstein understood that they would
have to Tinker their way through many Mistakes and Failures in
their experiments while pursuing the achievement of their Dreams.

In addition, they also knew that their Achievements would "ruffle
the feathers" of the established mediocrities within their fields.

Did they occasionally become frustrated during the pursuit of their
Dreams? Of course they did, for they are human. But, did they give
up on their Dreams? Never!

Therefore, if we are to Achieve our Great Dreams, and walk
shoulder-to-shoulder with the Immortals of History, we must
accept the fact that Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering are part of
the normal experience of life. And that Tinkering with our Failures
and Mistakes allows us to explore all of the options available to us
so that we may serendipitously "stumble" upon the Dream which
we have been Seeking.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.


© copyright Joseph Panek 2011
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1 comment:

knowledgeseeker said...

Solid, inspiring, practical stuff Joe.

It is worth remembering that Newton spent many hours EACH day in Meditation. He had learned how to communicate with the Higher Consciousness.

In this condition he WAITED and received the details of 'Principia Mathematica' and hi 'Theory of Gravity'. After which, UNDOUBTING he set up experiments to prove the' theories' to his colleagues at Cambridge.

KS (UK)