Make Mistakes and Keep Going

Getting it wrong helps you learn how to get it right.

We put so much pressure on ourselves (and sometimes unintentionally on our kids) to get things right the first time. But that’s not how life works. That’s not how we grow.

The real learning? It lives in the mess. In the missed shots. In the forgotten schedule. In the moments where things don’t go the way you hoped, and you’re left embarrassed or disappointed.

I’ve seen it in my kids: the math problem they got wrong after trying so hard. The soccer pass that didn’t connect. The tears after saying something they wish they hadn’t. And what I want to tell them every single time is: This is all part of it. Don’t give up, keep learning.

The important thing isn’t the mistake, it’s how you respond to it.
Do you tell yourself you’re not good enough? That you’ll never get it?
Or do you say, Okay. That didn’t work. What can I do better next time?

The voice in your head after a mistake matters more than the mistake itself. And I say that not just as a parent, but as someone still trying to retrain that voice in my own head. It’s easy to fall into self-blame. It’s harder, but more powerful, to speak to yourself with kindness and curiosity.

What can I learn from this?
How can I grow?
What do I know now that I didn’t before?

That’s the shift I want them to make. Not “I messed up,” but “I’m getting better.”

Because here’s the truth: nobody becomes great at anything without failing. Every artist, athlete, musician, scientist, you name it, got there by messing up. Repeatedly. And getting back up. Repeatedly.

Mistakes are not signs of failure. They’re signs that you’re trying. And trying is where everything good begins.

So that’s the lesson for my kids, and for myself:

Make mistakes. Own them. Learn from them. Be kind to yourself. And keep going.