Why You Should Learn From Others’ Mistakes

I went to the bank yesterday. I was getting out of my car and heading into the lobby when I noticed it was locked. A paper on the glass door said the lobby was closed. As I headed back to my car, I saw a red car leaving as well. The red car arrived after I did and left before I could.

The way I viewed it, the red car saw me trying to enter the bank’s lobby but couldn’t, so it assumed the lobby was closed and left before having to find out herself.

She learned from my mistake, as it should be.

We’re often told that we should learn from our mistakes but rarely do we hear that we should learn from the mistakes of others. Why is that?

One reason to learn history is to prevent mistakes that those in the past have done. World War 3, for example, with our current technology doesn’t sound like the best idea.

Otto Von Bismarck, Germany’s first-ever Chancellor, said, “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

Yes, you should learn from your mistakes. But failing to learn from the mistakes of others could be the biggest mistake you’ll make.

TAKEAWAY: Learn from the mistakes of others.

Here’s my inspiration for the day.