Making mistakes is sometimes the best way to learn something new. Mistakes can range from the very small things that you can easily forget about, to something so big that it can stay on your mind for a lifetime. I’ve realised that the cost of a mistake is not always related to money, but also includes time and life.
Money
Financially, a mistake can cost you more than you can think. You’re technically spending at least three times – on the mistake, undoing the mistake and doing it the right way. I’ve made financial mistakes too. The one thing that sticks out in my mind was when I bought an ab machine. I used it for about a month and then it became a clothes hanger. That was a huge financial mistake. I could have put that money towards something useful.
Time
Time is another “cost” of a mistake. The same principle with money occurs here too. You made the mistake, then you or someone else has to find time to correct the mistake and then you have to do it the right way. What’s worse is if that extra time was already allocated for some other activity.
Life
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard stories of people making mistakes which end up in people or animals losing their lives. To me, this is the worse of the three costs that I’ve listed. From accidents to medical mishaps and everything in between, losing a life is the ultimate price that can be paid for a mistake of any kind.
You might not see it in front of your eyes, but at the end of the day, some form of payment will be made for that mistake. Many people have spent their lifetime lamenting over mistakes that they made in the past.
What other costs of mistakes can you think of? How do you view mistakes? Are they an integral part of the learning process or do you believe that there are safer ways of gaining knowledge?