Adult playing piano — Don’t fear failure

Learn to embrace your mistakes and grow because of them.

Every year we celebrate ‘Children’s Mental Health Week’ and this time the theme was ‘Growing together’. This involves emotional growth as well as developing skills, with which we benefit from the support of others such as parents, teachers, and friends.

It is reassuring to know that challenges and setbacks can help us to grow and adapt. Dr. Alex George the presenter, and NHS doctor was a key figure in children’s mental health week. He discussed athlete Katarina Johnson-Thomas’s advice that “Regret will always haunt you more than failure”.

Dr. George agreed that mistakes teach us to tackle hurdles in life. He believes we need to embrace and befriend mistakes, learn from them, and move forward with determination.

Also trying new things can help us move beyond our comfort zone and, in turn, assist us in reaching our full potential.

British psychotherapist, Philippa Perry encourages us to, “do something new or build on something you’ve already got”, she also highlights that, “learning things causes us to form neural connections and the more of these we have is probably for the better”. We continue to grow emotionally and mentally all our lives…which surely is an exciting and endless prospect. So, each step should be embraced with your full attention and a sense of gratitude.

Recently I started learning the piano with my 9-year-old son. Once I got over the initial stress of trying to read music again (30 years later!), I found myself playing daily as a form of relaxation. The new muscle memory has given me a real boost and the confidence to take on new challenges. Why not challenge yourself to do something new and see what benefits it brings?

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