August 19, 2025- Go make some mistakes

“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”

~Epictetus

We aren’t going to be experts before we are amateurs. We need some time to practice, to work out the kinks. If we are afraid to put ourselves on display as anything but an expert, we have no capacity for growth.

It is not the greatest feeling to look or sound foolish in front of others. But if we are not willing to give others grace for their mistakes, what kind of people does that make us? If we come across others who are unwilling to give us that same grace, are they really the people that we should adjust our lives to try to impress?

Mistakes are necessary on the pathway to growth. If we aren’t failing, we are playing things too safely. We must challenge ourselves to force adaptation. When things are too easy, we have no impetus to change.

Get out there and make some mistakes today. Own them. Take pride in them. They show that you are willing to learn. You are willing to grow into something larger than you are today. Decide what changes you need to make to avoid practicing the same mistakes repeatedly into habit. You have the discipline to work, the grace to forgive your errors, the reflection to recognize them, and the resilience to use them for growth.