August 2025
🐰🐰🥳 The Value and Importance of Mistakes: A Birthday Reflection
“If you could travel back in time, you would miss out on all of the mistakes you made. You would undoubtedly be someone very different. Long live my past and my mistakes.” ― A.R. Merrydew
The only constant is change...
Birthdays often bring me into a reflective space—looking back at what I’ve learned, where I’ve stumbled, and how I’ve grown. This year, one theme kept rising to the surface: the importance of mistakes.
We tend to think of mistakes as failures—proof that we weren’t prepared enough, skilled enough, or good enough. It’s easy to fall into self-criticism or shame when things don’t go the way we planned. But what if mistakes aren’t proof of inadequacy, but instead opportunities for growth?
From a therapeutic perspective, mistakes hold tremendous value:
🌱 Mistakes show us where we’re learning.
Anytime you try something new, there’s a chance you’ll stumble. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong—it means you’re stretching beyond your comfort zone. Whether it’s starting a new job, building healthier habits, or navigating relationships, mistakes signal that you’re actively learning.
🪞 Mistakes reveal patterns.
When the same “misstep” keeps happening, it’s often a clue about an underlying belief, fear, or habit. Instead of beating yourself up, you can use mistakes as a mirror: What does this reveal about how I react under stress? What do I need that I wasn’t able to access in that moment?
🤝 Mistakes can build connection.
We all mess up. Owning a mistake and taking steps to repair it can deepen trust and authenticity in relationships. Vulnerability—saying “I was wrong, and I care enough to try again”—often creates more closeness than perfection ever could.
⚖️ Mistakes teach balance.
They remind us that perfection isn’t the goal—growth, resilience, and self-compassion are. Learning to recover gracefully from setbacks may be one of the most valuable skills we ever build.
As I think about another year of life, I realize my biggest growth moments didn’t come from getting things “right.” They came from the mistakes that nudged me toward humility, reminded me to ask for help, and pushed me to keep going even when I felt unsure.
A gentle reminder: Making mistakes doesn’t mean you are a mistake. It means you are human. When we give ourselves permission to get things wrong, we open the door to self-compassion, creativity, and change.
✨ As I mark another birthday, I’m asking myself: What have my mistakes taught me this year? And I invite you to do the same—what’s one mistake you’ve made recently that actually helped you learn something important?
I'm grateful to know you and I thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. Please let me know if there is anything more I can be doing to support you.
“Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself.” —Tom Wilson
Helpful Numbers: I recommend adding these to your contacts in your phone. If you don't need them, you might be able to share them with someone who does.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Text crisis line... you can send a text to 741741 and just write HOME and someone will get right back to you. https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
