How to Accept Mistakes and Learn from Them

This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS. Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. This article has been viewed 135,618 times. To accept mistakes and learn from them, you first need to tell yourself that it’s okay to mess up. Try and remember that we all make mistakes, especially when we’re trying new things. Instead of focusing on what you do wrong, think about what you do well. For example, maybe you didn’t cook the perfect dish but you were able to tell exactly what spice it needed just from tasting it. To learn from your mistakes, you should make an effort to correct them or figure out what to do differently next time. Keeping a journal of mistakes and successes can help you do that! For more advice from our co-author, including how to differentiate between a mistake and a bad decision, scroll down.