The Gift of Being Wrong

A popular mantra in the personal development world is “Fail Forward.”

Basically, it means to experiment your way to success. With a proper mindset, one can use failure as a tool, like any other tool, and learning how to use it will help you be successful. 

“Ok, I was wrong here. I’ll analyze that to find out why and what I’ll do differently next time.”

Being wrong is also valuable for scientists and engineers. Start with a hypothesis or a design and start experimenting. Modify accordingly through the process — the scientific method in practice. 

“Ah, I see. I was wrong here. Here’s what I’ll change and try again.”

Being wrong is a gift as long as the person a) admits it and b) is willing to change accordingly. 

Can we apply this same theory of being wrong at the institutional, community, and political levels and enjoy the same benefits?

What if, rather than entrenching in either side’s ideological outrage, we admit where we were wrong, admit what we still don’t know, and modify accordingly? 

Doing so will take less outrage, more empathy, and the courage to expose oneself to emotional danger (willing to admit it and willing to change accordingly).

Let’s not waste the gift of being wrong.