Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation with somebody and a familiar name gets brought up in the midst. Usually the following comments are made, “Oh, was that the girl who got too drunk at that party once?” or “Is that the guy who threw the entire football game for his team?” or even “The girl who was held back a year because of her poor grades?” Do you see the common pattern in these sayings? In today’s generation people are remembered by that one mistake they made, that’s what “defines” them as a person.

People of all different, races, social classes, ages, genders, and education level make mistakes every single day. However, mistakes are not a bad thing. We make mistakes in this world to learn from them and grow. We gain wisdom and knowledge from the mistakes we make every day. Nobody enjoys being judged by that one mistake they made in the past. You don’t know what that person was going through during that time. To be honest nobody has the right to judge others about mistakes they have made, because last time I checked nobody is perfect. We are all on the same journey that we call life and every day we are evolving and growing into great people. Don’t focus on that one mistake that person made but instead focus on the things that he or she did right. When I look back on my life the first thing I think of were the hard times in my life, the mistakes I made, and how I overcame those obstacles and became a better person because of it. Everybody is worth so much more than that one mistake they made in the past. It is not about what mistake they made but how they overcame it and didn’t let it destroy them.

Next time you make a mistake, think about it, figure out what caused it, and learn from it. But most importantly forgive yourself and don’t dwell on the past. Focus on the future. The more mistakes you make the more you learn and the stronger you become. So next time a familiar name gets brought up don’t reference that person with that one mistake they made. However, remember them for the positive things that person has done and how they didn’t let that one mistake define them.