I try to learn from my mistakes. Sometimes that isn't easy. Other times it is; like when the lesson is painful...something you don't ever want to repeat. The past is just that; the past. It's over and done. After we've made a mistake and learned what not to do, it's time to move on. You wouldn't keep banging your head against the wall, would you? It hurts so why continue...
As a writer, I've made many mistakes with my books. The first couple are always the hardest. But I've learned what works and what doesn't; what my strengths and weaknesses are. When I sit down to work on a book, I already know pretty much what I can and cannot do. I won't waste my time working on a subject or format that I've learned, from past experience, is out of my wheelhouse. Let's face it. We can't be good everything. If this advice works for writing, I figure it can work in life, too. I know how fast I can swim and how far I can jump; I know my limits. This doesn't mean that I don't push myself to get better. No. I just don't try things that I recognize as fool-hardy. A new runner wouldn't get up one morning and run a marathon. He realizes that his body won't do that; especially if he's tried it before! He knows that he must practice and start off small; building up to the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon. Life is kind of the same way. If we learn from our mistakes, and don't expect to run the marathon on our first try, our lives will move steadily forward...with far less pain and anxiety. And that sounds good to me! I will leave you, today, with this nugget of wisdom that I try to live by, "If the past comes calling, don't answer. It has nothing new to tell you."
As a writer, I've made many mistakes with my books. The first couple are always the hardest. But I've learned what works and what doesn't; what my strengths and weaknesses are. When I sit down to work on a book, I already know pretty much what I can and cannot do. I won't waste my time working on a subject or format that I've learned, from past experience, is out of my wheelhouse. Let's face it. We can't be good everything. If this advice works for writing, I figure it can work in life, too. I know how fast I can swim and how far I can jump; I know my limits. This doesn't mean that I don't push myself to get better. No. I just don't try things that I recognize as fool-hardy. A new runner wouldn't get up one morning and run a marathon. He realizes that his body won't do that; especially if he's tried it before! He knows that he must practice and start off small; building up to the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon. Life is kind of the same way. If we learn from our mistakes, and don't expect to run the marathon on our first try, our lives will move steadily forward...with far less pain and anxiety. And that sounds good to me! I will leave you, today, with this nugget of wisdom that I try to live by, "If the past comes calling, don't answer. It has nothing new to tell you."
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