“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” –John C. Maxwell
You will make mistakes in life – a lot of them. But to overcome them and truly become successful, you need all three parts of John Maxwell’s quote above.
First, you need to admit when you are wrong. It goes a long way in the eyes of others when you acknowledge your mistakes. If you know you’re wrong, but don’t admit it, others will either think that you don’t see it or that you don’t want to admit it to them. Either way, those around you will look down on you for it.
Second, you need to be smart enough to profit from your mistakes. This doesn’t mean to profit literally, although that would be ideal. What Maxwell means is to learn from your mistakes and apply that newfound knowledge to not make those same mistakes again. Use that knowledge to propel you to new heights. If you keep making the same mistakes over and over, you either aren’t doing anything about the mistakes that you’re making, you are making the wrong corrections, or the actions you’re taking aren’t big enough to make a tangible difference.
Lastly, once you understand what you need to do, you have to be strong enough to actually do it. Knowing and doing are two different things. It is hard enough to figure out where to go sometimes, but the really hard part is what follows. You need to find the strength to do what must be done.
