The holiday season is here – a time for cozy lights twinkling in the evening, the warm aroma of cinnamon scones wafting through the house, and the comforting taste of hot mulled wine in hand with a slice of orange, perhaps. It’s a season for meaningful connections, heartfelt conversations with loved ones, and thoughtful tokens of care resting under the tree, each holding the spirit of love and gratitude.
Yet, what if I told you that gifts don’t always need to be wrapped or bought in stores? What if the most valuable gifts come in unexpected forms, like the lessons hidden within our mistakes – untangible, intangible opportunities waiting to be discovered?
From a young age, we’ve been conditioned to fear and not to make mistakes.
Maybe it was the sharp scolding from a teacher, the disapproving glance from a parent, or the teasing from a classmate. The message was clear: mistakes mean failure, and failure isn’t acceptable.
This belief follows us into adulthood. When we make a mistake, we replay it endlessly, beating ourselves up, feeling like imposters, and promising to “do better next time.” But then it happens again—another mistake, another wave of regret, another round of self-criticism.
It’s a painful, exhausting cycle, one we rarely stop to question – and it is limiting .
What if there is another way to look at making mistakes?
Imagine each mistake you’ve made this year as a gift under the tree. At first glance, they might look downright intimidating – shrouded in tattered, faded paper, the edges fraying as if they’ve been carelessly discarded. The bow is crooked, torn, barely holding the mess together. But inside each one lies something priceless – something you can only find there, in that mistake, and nowhere else: maybe even a beam of light, a revelation or understanding you can’t get any other way.
- A lesson about what doesn’t work- and the opportunity to discover what will.
- A deeper understanding of yourself: your fears, your strengths, and even what truly matters to you.
- A reminder that mistakes are part of being human and growing, just like everyone else.
No other moment in life will give you these insights in the same way. The gift only exists in the mistake itself – nothing else can reveal it.
Why Mistakes Feel So Costly
Mistakes aren’t free. They come with a price: time, effort, pride – and sometimes real consequences. But think about it—valuable gifts often come with a price tag.
The true cost of embracing mistakes lies in facing our fears. The fear of failure. The fear of being judged. The fear of not being perfect. It’s tough to confront these feelings and even tougher to look at a mistake and ask, “What can I learn from this?”
But when we pay that price, the return is always worth it.
The Gifts of Embracing Mistakes
When we stop seeing mistakes as failures and start viewing them as opportunities, amazing things happen:
- We grow emotionally and professionally.
- We build resilience, learning to bounce back even stronger.
- We develop self-compassion, becoming kinder to ourselves and others.
And isn’t that what life is about? Growth, kindness, and hope for what’s ahead? Isn’t that what we need to live fulfilling lives and stay in touch with ourselves?
What If We Welcomed Mistakes?
Think back to one mistake you made this year.
- What could be the invisible gift hidden within it?
- What was the gap you encountered—and could that gap be exactly what you needed to move forward next time?
- How would this hidden gift help you achieve what you initially set out to do or bring you closer to your goal?
I believe that every time we plan something or make a decision, and when it doesn’t go as we envisioned or we face failure, there is an immense opportunity to discover something new – a revelation that just might be exactly what we need to succeed the next time.
Every mistake could become a gift—a chance to uncover a valuable lesson, grow stronger, and step closer to becoming the happiest, most fulfilled version of yourself.
Lusine Yeremyan
