It is impossible to always make good decisions. Everyone makes mistakes – some big, some small. Making a bad decision does not make you a bad person. What is important is that you learn from your mistakes, and avoid repeating them. Repeated mistakes are stupid mistakes.
A few simple examples
One of the reasons I enjoy traveling so much is that you get to see the world, and you learn a lot about life. Unfortunately, some of it is due to errors I made, bad decisions, or short-sighted judgments. For example, it was a mistake not to use the free wi-fi that was available at the resort on our trip to Cancun a few years ago. As a result, we wracked up hundreds of dollars in extra roaming charges – a costly error. Another example – it was a bad decision to return a rental car in Germany without the gas tank full. The customer service person was not thrilled, and it cost me a lot of grief and money.
Another recent costly example
A few years ago, Riley and I attended a travel conference. I wanted to learn more about the best way to travel. The conference was excellent. I learned a lot, especially from the Points Guy. The problem was that I took all that enthusiasm home with me and booked multiple trips to Europe way too far in advance. The dates I picked ended up not working out, and I found out that the plane tickets were not refundable. It was a really costly mistake that I have not repeated since then, even though I had to cancel multiple trips this year due to COVID.
We can avoid stupid mistakes
These mistakes were learning experiences. I will make sure these mistakes do not happen again. Be a learner – avoid making the same mistakes over and over. Pay particular attention to your mistakes that result in loss, waste, or destruction. You want to avoid bad decisions that create broken relationships with family and friends, results in losing large amounts of money, or wasting your time. Instead, learn lessons from your mistakes and apply those in future situations. Smart people learn – fools don’t…and none of us want to be a fool.
Wisdom comes from life experience; life experience is the result of repeatedly taking corrective action while courageously learning from mistakes.
Ken Poirot
I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to sons.