Bhaiyya, I’m stuck with my project work,’ said Rahul, ‘I’m going around in circles and not making any progress.’
‘Why Rahul?’ asked Rakesh.
‘Don’t know, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘No matter how hard I try, there’s no improvement. Maybe I’m not meant for this.’
‘Bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘Surely there must be a way for Rahul to get out of this rut?’
‘Hmm,’ said Rakesh. ‘I’ll share what my mentor, Bala sir, used to say. Maybe it will help.’
‘What’s that, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul.
‘Whenever I’d get stuck, he’d tell me that though I put in a lot of effort, I was thinking along the same lines,’ said Rakesh, ‘I was using up a lot of energy without moving forward.’
‘That’s exactly how I feel,’ said Rahul.
‘Any idea why we do that?’ smiled Rakesh.
‘Because we’re doing something wrong,’ said Rahul.
‘Because we’re scared we might fail if we try something new,’ said Rinku.
‘Right,’ said Rakesh, ‘Bala sir’s mantra for progress is very simple. “Make mistakes, but don’t repeat them. Instead, make new mistakes.”’
‘Bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘How can we make any progress by making so many mistakes?’
‘Let me explain,’ laughed Rakesh, ‘To “make mistakes” means that all our learning and growth comes only when we try something new. We learn to walk, cycle or drive by trying, though it is something new. When we try something new, we’re bound to make mistakes. So, making mistakes is actually a sign of growth. But there’s a catch. We grow only when we do not repeat our mistakes. Only when we stop falling while cycling, can we call it progress.’
‘How do I stop repeating my old mistakes, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul.
‘First, identify your mistakes,’ said Rakesh, ‘Many of us repeat the same mistakes because we don’t even know we’re making a mistake. Since it’s not easy to identify our own mistakes, we can ask someone to help us in identifying and rectifying the mistakes.’
‘That makes sense, bhaiyya,’ nodded Rinku, ‘But why should we make new mistakes once we’ve corrected the old ones?’
‘Because new mistakes are a sign that you’re learning something new,’ said Rakesh, ‘The mantra for continuous growth in our life is to try new things, constantly, without the fear of making mistakes.’
‘Wow,’ said Rahul, ‘I never thought my growth was linked to making more mistakes. I always thought I should make fewer mistakes by trying less.’
