14 Reasons Why The Best People Have Made The Most Mistakes

1. Life is about risk-taking. It’s a gamble and sometimes you will lose. Some of today’s most successful people have made the greatest mistakes, they just know you have to keep trying, keep rolling the dice until the risks pay off.

2. They have a lot of experience and they know what it takes to overcome adversity when everything is on the line. They think quickly on their feet and you know you can depend on them in the heat of the moment.

3. They posses oceans of empathy but they also understand that self-pity doesn’t solve anything and that sometimes what someone really needs is a strong dose of tough love. They get it, they understand, but they also know that you have to toughen up and keep soldiering on.

4. No one person has ever been universally liked. Someone who has made a lot of mistakes understands that there will always be naysayers, people who will try to tear you down and keep you there. Misery loves company, but they refuse to join the club.

5. Sometimes the world hits hard. Really fucking hard. Sometimes it’s your fault and sometimes it comes out of left field with no warning whatsoever. People who’ve made a lot of mistakes have spent enough time in the dirt to know how best to pull themselves up again and chances are they’re willing to lend a helping hand to the guy/girl next to them. 

6. They know that sometimes the only person who is going to believe in them… is themselves and that it has to be enough. You can’t always expect people to be there and to back you up; they know that sometimes the only person you can count on and trust in is yourself. 

7. When you’ve made enough mistakes in life, you start to get a pretty clear understanding of yourself. Sure, there are people who keep making the same mistakes over and over again, but the truly worthwhile people learn from their mistakes and grow. Often the people who know themselves the best are the people who have known and acknowledged themselves at their worst.

8. They are open-minded. They know how to think outside of the box in order to problem solve, and they aren’t too quick to toss an idea aside. They listen with interest and they’ll entertain a number of concepts and ideals.

9. Life rarely, if ever, goes as planned and they know how to make the most of a situation. They know how to live in and appreciate the moment while keeping a healthy eye on the future. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, you often can’t control it, but you can control how you deal with it.

10. They’ve pretty much fucked up so that you don’t have to. When they offer advice you know it’s coming from an experienced and understanding place. They also understand that people often have to make their own mistakes and go their own ways sometimes, they’ll be there to help pick up the pieces and they probably won’t say ‘I told you so.’

11. When shit goes down, you want them in your corner. They maintain grace under pressure and probably have an exit strategy. They’ll know when it’s time to back down from a fight or when it’s time to stand firm and defend whatever it is you stand for.

12. They probably have some really great and interesting stories to tell. They’ve been places in life; they’ve done some crazy things –some of them probably stupid. You could probably learn a lesson or two from their experiences.

13. People who’ve made a lot of mistakes aren’t too quick to judge or lay blame. Fuck ups happen, they know that, what really matters is how you deal with the consequences.

14. They’ve lived, they’ve thrown themselves to the wolves to see if they could make it out alive and discover what’s on the other side. They rarely wonder ‘what if’ because they chase that feeling away. Sure, they’ve messed up, they’ve gone down some paths they’d rather not have, but sometimes knowledge and understanding comes at a price.