Other folks’ mistakes educate us.
It’s easy to recognize mistakes in others. Poor decisions, missed opportunities, inattention, carelessness, lack of effort, muddled priorities—we find them all too readily in others. We’re challenged not to judge. It’s hard not to feel we handle things better. But do we really?
We can’t push others to be more effective and functional. But we can learn from their mistakes. If another’s failings annoy us, it’s likely we have the same fault in some fashion. We may need to ponder a bit, but reflection will show us how we, in some way, do the same thing.
Today’s message reminds me that I create the world and events around me to help expand my awareness. When I see another making mistakes, it’s a call to clean up my own beliefs, thoughts, choices, and behavior. I recognize my own faulty in other to help me get past my personal blind spots about myself.
How about you? How do you learn from the mistakes of others?