Monday, October 22, 2012

Mistakes Are Necessary

To my son Tommy,

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than life spent doing nothing."  George Bernard Shaw
If that quote from a fellow Irishman is true, than I have lived quite an honorable and useful life.  Mistakes abound in my history.  If I had a crystal ball, I would imagine that my future holds a whole new round of mistakes as well.  Mistakes are part of life.  They are a way to learn.  Mistakes allow us to express some of the best aspects of humanity, because it is not the mistake that defines you but what happens next.  Being apologetic and sincere, being humbled, being resilient, being persistent, being successful, being educated, becoming wise; many times these journeys all start with a simple mistake.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes in your life.  If you play it safe your entire life, and never push it to the edge where mistakes are inevitable, you may be just missing what living is all about.  As for one of my sources of inspiration, Mr. Shaw, remember though he sounds deep and profound, he is as full of crap as the rest of us.  Leave it to an Irishman to make screwing up sound almost preferable.  It reminds of me a certain blogger who has a passed on a good amount of Celtic blood to his son.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo

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