essay the biggest mistake in my life

Essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life

Students are often asked to write an essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life

The mistake.

One day, I made a big mistake. I lied to my parents about my exam results. I was scared they’d be upset, so I told them I did well, when I actually failed.

The Consequence

My lie was found out. My parents were not only upset about my grades, but also about my dishonesty. They lost their trust in me, which was more painful than any punishment.

This mistake taught me a lot. Lying only leads to more problems. It’s better to face the truth, no matter how hard it might be. Honesty is always the best policy.

From that day, I promised to always be honest. I worked hard to regain my parents’ trust. This mistake helped me grow as a person. It was a tough lesson, but a valuable one.

250 Words Essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life

Introduction.

Everyone makes mistakes in life. These errors, big or small, teach us valuable lessons. One mistake that I consider the biggest in my life was not listening to my parents’ advice about the importance of studying.

In my early school years, I was more interested in playing and having fun than studying. I ignored my parents’ advice to focus on my studies, thinking that I could easily catch up later. This was my biggest mistake.

The Consequences

My grades started to drop and I fell behind in class. I found it hard to understand the lessons because I hadn’t paid attention from the start. This made me feel bad and I lost confidence in myself.

I learned that ignoring important tasks and responsibilities can lead to problems. I also understood the importance of listening to the advice of people who care about us, like our parents.

My biggest mistake taught me a valuable lesson about responsibility and the importance of education. It made me realize that I should take my studies seriously. I also learned to value the advice of my parents. Even though it was a tough lesson, I am glad I learned it early in life.

500 Words Essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life

Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, and celebrations. It will test our strength, our patience, and our endurance. And in this journey of life, we all make mistakes. I am no exception. The biggest mistake of my life was when I neglected my studies during my high school years, focusing more on having fun with friends.

During my high school years, I was a carefree student. I was more interested in hanging out with friends, playing video games, and watching movies than studying. I thought I could easily pass my exams without much effort. I ignored my teachers’ advice and my parents’ concerns about my declining grades.

As a result of my negligence, my grades dropped drastically. I failed in two subjects in my final exams. I was shocked and devastated. I had never failed before and this was a huge blow to my self-esteem. My parents were disappointed in me and I felt guilty for letting them down.

Lessons Learned

This failure was a wake-up call for me. I realized the importance of hard work and dedication. I understood that there is no shortcut to success and that I had to put in effort and time to achieve my goals. I learned that I could not take things for granted and that I had to be responsible for my actions.

Turning Point

After my failure, I made a decision to change my attitude towards studies. I started taking my studies seriously and worked hard to improve my grades. I spent less time with my friends and more time studying. I also sought help from my teachers and they were happy to guide me. With consistent effort, I was able to improve my grades and pass my exams with flying colors.

Looking back, I am grateful for this mistake as it taught me valuable lessons. It made me realize the importance of hard work, dedication, and responsibility. It was a turning point in my life that shaped my future. Mistakes are part of life and they are our best teachers. They help us grow and become better individuals. The biggest mistake of my life was a lesson that I will never forget.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Happy studying!

The Biggest Mistake I Made In My Life

T here are many mistakes I have made in my life . I hope that as I have learned from them, the lessons I’ve shared so far will help you avoid the pain and regret that follows from them.

Today I want to share the biggest mistake I made with you.

The Importance Of Situational Understanding

Before I tell you, let me share with you how I got here. Without understanding this, you may read it and not fully absorb how important it is.

See, that’s the thing about some of the most profound lessons in our lives: it takes more than just being told a lesson, to really understand the lesson.

We have to learn them at just the right time, in just the right context, or it doesn’t actually sink in and make any difference.

Your mentors may tell you this lesson in passing, but without a proper frame of mind to accept it, you won’t realize just how powerful it is and brush it off.

The SECOND Biggest Mistake…

And in fact, that may be the second biggest mistake I have ever made in my life:

Ignoring good advice, believing it didn’t apply to me, because I was not yet ready to receive it – and wasting years of my life until I finally came around and understood how valuable that information was.

How I Realized My Mistake

We all have subconscious assumptions we make every day. We don’t even realize we have them until we are suddenly challenged on something that is “obviously” true to us, or that we take for granted every day.

One of those “obvious” assumptions I used to make was, “it’s ok I can get a second chance.” Now I know logically that’s not true, but emotionally that’s often how I treated chances in my life.

However, the truth is, I learned there are opportunities where we never, ever get a second chance.

What we may get, if we are lucky, is a new opportunity to start over.

Or a new opportunity to try to make amends.

Or something that in our own minds allows us to “make up” for a lost opportunity.

But that friend you hurt, the birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions we miss – there is really no going back.

And that is why….

The Biggest Mistake I Made In My Life Is This

I didn’t truly value my time or the opportunities it afforded me: I pretended I would get another chance, and so instead spent time on things that didn’t matter in the long run and that I did not have to do – missing out on the single chance I had.

Now yes – that sounds vague, but let me give you some more details of why it matters, concrete examples and action steps.

Because understanding time famine , and how valuable each day is is what led me to this realization.

Why Fixing This Mistake Cannot Wait

There are a two subconscious issues in particular that drive this mistake. And the problem is, these subconscious issues make you feel like this mistake isn’t urgent – even though in reality, it is an emergency .

Issue 1: Pretending Letting One Thing Go Doesn’t Matter

When my days were passing me by, I never thought to myself “well, I’m letting my life slip away.”

Because in that moment, it feels like “It’s just one day” or “It’s just this one time” and “I can always see my friends tomorrow.”

You feel like there will always be another day, there will always be another chance.

But think about this: depending on the study, up to 95% of people’s actions are habitual. That is, we do the same thing over and over again. Every time, and every day, we take an action that’s not truly valuing our time and making the most of it, that’s another step towards building that habit.

And once you start letting one day or week go by without seeing your friends, or calling your family – it’s easy to let another and then another. And then your new life, your new habit – is one where that experience no longer happens.

Why this matters : If we don’t treat this as an emergency today, we will build habits that reinforce not valuing our time – and it will be even harder to break those habits later.

Issue 2: Not Realizing Our Mortality

While related to the first, this is a little more subtle.

And what changed it for me was when friends and family started passing away.

I remember one, she was full of life and still in college. I was busy with classes as well. We messaged each other, planning to get together but kept putting it off – even though we were literally at the same university.

However almost two years went by without us getting together once when she suddenly passed away.

Now what I want to emphasize is: I didn’t have just one chance to see her. There were hundreds of days, and dozens of times we had kept in touch. But not once did we follow through on those plans because we were too busy.

For months, that experience really shook me. I’ve forgiven myself and allowed myself to move on, but it’s a mistake that I made that cannot be undone. There is no second chance.

Why this matters : If you don’t appreciate your own mortality, you feel no urgency to change. There is “tomorrow” to change – and tomorrow turns into never.

What Can You Do About It?

There are a few action steps you can take right now:

Start calculating “costs” and “benefits” in terms of time . Often we look at something and weigh the monetary, currency costs because those are easy – the price of the item is right there. But try to get in the habit of thinking of time as your most important currency. Is “express shipping” really too expensive at $20 (even if it looks like a total rip-off) if the benefit is 3 more days of using a product that will save you 2 hours a day?
Try to be more aware of falling into habits and default behavior . I talk about this at length in my article about taking control of your life , the short version is this: when you’re doing something, really ask yourself – is this what I should be doing? Or do I just do this because I’ve always done it? Example: Do I always walk in the house, sit down and turn on the TV? Or do I always check my phone for social updates as soon as I wake up, and before I go to sleep?
Start the day by paying yourself first . As the day goes on it gets more hectic, and you may have more external things to respond to. If you can start the day fresh by focusing on yourself and your long term goals, even in just a small way for a few minutes, it will help you build that awareness of your time so you can value it throughout the day.

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What have you learned from your biggest mistakes – Sample answers & more

Everyone makes mistakes . You can read the biographies of billionaires , or of people successful in endeavors that are hard to measure with money (art, spirituality), and you will see that even the best of the best made some big mistakes in their life. And they often paid the price. But they leaned from their mistakes. Failures haven’t broken their spirits . On the contrary, they made them stronger. Perhaps this is what makes the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful one, or at least it seems so… Anyway, interviewing for a job , or even for a place at a college, you will often face questions about the BIG mistakes of your life , and what you have learned from them. Let’s learn how to deal with this one!

Several things matter for your interviewers. First one, that you can actually admit making mistakes, without blaming someone else for them . Second, that however hard or painful your failure was, it didn’t break you down . And third, that while you have an ability to forget the setback and move on , you do not simply forget it. On the contrary, you try to analyze your mistakes, and learn from them , making sure that you’ll do things better next time around. That’s the impression you want to make on the hiring managers, or on anyone else who asks you about your biggest mistakes.

Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the questions. Bear in mind that in this case, you talk about the lessons you learned, and not about the mistakes. At least not in detail. If you want you can also check sample answers to a question “ What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career? “. But let’s move to the answers now. I hope at least one of them will resonate with you.

7 sample answers to “What have you learned from your biggest mistakes?” interview question

I have learned from my biggest mistakes that you should not bet everything on one card . Sure, it is great to love your trade and devote everything to one profession. But things change, what is super secure today can be highly insecure in 5 years. And if you do not have any other qualifications, it can easily happen that you change $100K/year job for $30K/year job . But I’ve learned my lesson, and I do not blame fate or God or anyone else for my present financial struggles. I have the job I have now. And I keep working on mu education and skills , to be able to get something better, and to make myself more flexible on the job market.
People change . That’s what I learned from my biggest mistakes. They both relate to relationships. I have divorced two times , which isn’t a great resume for someone in their early forties. But here we go. I also learned from my mistakes that one should not do things they aren’t mature for yet. But I want to assure you that I am not bitter because of my failed marriages. First of all, there’s more to life than marriage. For example you can have a job you like and see a meaningful purpose in . That’s also important, and can bring a lot of happiness and joy to your life.
I am still very young, only 21 , and it is hard to say whether I made some really big mistakes in my life. Sure, I haven’t always decided as I should have. And I said some things I regreted later. But it is also true that when you’re still at school parents decide many things for you… From the smaller mistakes I’ve made, however, I learned that nothing is permanent , and every day is a chance to try from scratch, to start something new. Maybe it is just a naivety of youth, but I feel that one should not dwell too much on their mistakes. We should live in the present, not in the past .
The most important lesson I’ve learned from my biggest mistakes is that they belong to life . The only people who never make big mistakes are people who never really leave their comfort zone to try something extraordinary. I often aimed for perfection, and ventured into the unknown . Had some successes, but also big setbacks. Nevertheless, I see it all as a part of a journey, because I know that mistakes and failures belong to each exciting journey.
My biggest mistakes are management mistakes . I would say that I became a better manager because of them. Of course, I could have done things right the first time around. But then I also believe that regardless of how many books on management you read, and how many experienced people you talk to, certain things you can only learn from your own mistakes . Now I already know that empowering people works only if you have right people in the team, and that individual approach to each person or project you manage is the key . And I sincerely hope to benefit from these lessons in my new job with you.
My biggest mistakes were a lesson in humility for me really. Had a great GPA, always considered myself intelligent, and sort of thought that the world belonged to me. But I made many mistakes as an analyst, and I also lost a good job because of one of them. But maybe from a long time perspective it is the best thing that could have happened to me . Because now I am humble and know that I can never stop learning, and never become complacent about my abilities.
I’ve learned that greed and desire are bad masters . We didn’t have enough savings to go for a big mortgage, and yet we went for it. Because we wanted a good house for our children and also prestige. Other people had big houses, so why wouldn’t we get one too? Of course, problems happened, my wife lost the job, and suddenly we weren’t able to pay the bills . Lost the house, experienced a lot of stress, family problems. It was just horrible, and only because we were greedy and not happy with what we had. I know that I am not going to make a similar mistake ever again. And though it was a painful experience, I am grateful for it . It taught me an important lesson that I will never forget.

* Special Tip : This isn’t the only difficult question you will face while interviewing for any decent job. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, dealing with ambiguity , and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package . Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!

Regardless of your mistakes and how much they hurt, try to stay positive

Many people spend half of their lives mourning about missed opportunities , or things they could have done better. But what happened happened, we cannot turn back the clock, and miserable people only bring miserable atmosphere to the workplace. Hiring managers are aware of it, and try to hire people who think positively, regardless of their mistakes.

Ensure them tha t you are over it yet. Had your share of pain and disappointment, but eventually you try to get the best out of the situation , which means learning from your mistakes, and looking forward to better future ahead. That’s the attitude they hope for, and you should do your best to show such in an interview.

Do not limit yourself with mistakes you made at work

For someone in their mid thirties it is easy to come up with some big mistakes they made at work. But what if you are just starting your professional career ? In such a case, you have two options. One is saying that you haven’t made any big mistakes yet (check sample answer no. 3 on my list). The second one is actually referring to some mistakes you made in your school life, relationships , etc. At the end of the day, your attitude matters more than anything else to the interviewers . It doesn’t matter for them much whether you talk about mistakes you made at work, or mistakes you made in your personal life…

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also 7 sample answers to other tricky interview questions:

What makes you stand out from the rest?
Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline.
How do you define success?
Recent Posts

Making Mistakes In Life You Don’t Need to Make (and How to Fix Them if You Do)

One of the benefits of watching the years go past in your life is the ability to look back and see where you screwed up.

If you look back often enough, with a discerning eye and an open heart, you can often self-correct along the way .

Or at the very least, you can learn from your screw-ups and become a bit wiser and stronger in other areas of your life.

You probably know from your own life experiences that mistakes are painful but very useful ways of learning about yourself.

However, there are some life mistakes, that if avoided in the first place, will save you a whole load of heartache and misdirection.

These are the mistakes that stem from a lack of knowledge, infrequent self-reflection, or little solid emotional guidance as you grow and enter adulthood.

These are the mistakes that can stick with you for a lifetime if someone or something doesn't gently (or often abruptly) help you self-correct.

Although I'm sharing these mistakes with you, and some ideas on how to fix them, I haven't been immune from them.

In fact, I've made every single one of these mistakes, and I can proudly claim that now in mid-life I am beginning to make a dent in a few of them!

Mistake #1: Losing Sight of What Makes You Happy

Mistake #2: giving power to fear, mistake #3: believing you are right, mistake #4: pleasing others at the expense of yourself, mistake #5: complicating your life, mistake #6: staying stagnant, mistake #7: not facing realities, mistake #8: giving away your power, mistake #9: neglecting relationships, mistake #10: feeling guilty, mistake # 11: spending mindlessly, mistake #12: over-thinking, mistake #13: neglecting your body, mistake #14: not managing your anger, mistake #15: never giving yourself time, 15 common mistakes in life you don't want to make.

Remember when you were a kid, and pure, unadulterated joy was part of most every day? We didn't have to ask ourselves, “What makes me happy?” We just knew and made it our mission to do those happy things.

But adulthood and responsibilities take us farther and farther away from the pure happiness of our youth. We get so caught up in the work of life that we lose touch with the joy of living.

How To Fix:

Go shut yourself in a clutter-free, distraction-free room with a pen and paper. Think about all of the things you did as a child, a teenager, and a young adult (before you had major responsibilities) that brought you happiness.

Write them down. Now think about some things you've done in recent years (whether in work or life in general) where you have felt really happy or content. Write those down as well.

How can you make space for more of those things that make you happy back into your life?

Fear, which was once an appropriate reaction to real and present danger, is now the reaction to any imagined negative outcome.

Fear is mostly a product of our imaginations, almost always without any true basis in reality.

We fear failure. We fear success. We fear the future. We fear the past. We fear possible scenarios with only a shred of evidence to lead us there. The more we think about what we fear, the more we feed the fear. Then fear begins to control us, limit us, and ultimately overtake us.

Examine your fears under a magnifying glass. Break them down and study all of the parts.

How much truth is there really in each fearful thing? What are the odds that the fearful thing will come to pass? Leave no fear un-probed, until you become bored with fear.

Become practiced at seeing fear as a weak and capricious companion, only useful when you are dealing with reality.

We put a lot of stock in our beliefs. We've spent a long time cultivating them, supporting them, proving to others that we have the last word on the subject.

do this with our beliefs about religion, politics, sexuality, child rearing, money, lifestyle, and any number of lesser areas of life (where we still feel compelled to take a stand). But once we are firmly lock in to a point of view, we lose.

We lose perspective, kindness, and a learner's mindset.

You don't have to give up your beliefs — just your attitude about them. Open yourself to other points of view. In fact, seek out other points of view. Look at the topic from every angle and be discerning. You will be a more interesting and understanding person.

Helping other people, being there for friends and family, finding ways to serve your community — these are all positive things.

Until you find that you have lost yourself in the process. Do you please others out of obligation? To feel better about yourself? To avoid abandonment or loss of love?

Examine your motives for giving of yourself. Does giving fill you up or drain you? Are you pleasing to find love? If so, shift your pleasing efforts to yourself for a change.

Find ways to love and please yourself. Then you will create authentic love to give others.

Life is full of opportunities and choices, and for some reason we must grasp at all of them. With every success comes more . . . more tasks, more stuff, more paperwork, more events, more distractions.

With each passing year, our lives become exponentially complicated and full. We are stretched to the limit and drained of energy.

Begin simplifying your life. Start with clutter. Then material things that you no longer use. Then start chopping unnecessary tasks and events. Pare down. Trim back. Craft your life into the purest essence of exactly what you love the most so that your precious time is spent in the best way possible.

You've grown up, secured your job, created a steady income, have a nice place to live, have a pretty decent lifestyle. Now that your life is in good shape, what's the point of shaking it up? You may feel restless or bored, but things could be a whole lot worse.

And they could be a whole lot better. Life is change. Staying stagnant stunts our potential for happiness. We are born with an enormous capacity for continued learning, personal growth, and new ways of living in the world.

With every “life stretch” comes thrilling new opportunities and experiences. Where can you stretch yourself through change?

Life lessons have taught us to put our head in the sand when we don't like what we see.

If things look unpleasant, if people let us down, if we fail to meet expectations — we spend precious energy finding ways to obfuscate, hide, deny, and pretend. The painful truth seems too scary to face, so we wear ourselves down trying to avoid it.

Denying unpleasant truths in life causes tension and internal pain for as long as we deny. Facing the truth may cause brief pain, but the relief and freedom of living honestly is liberating and allows us to move on in life with renewed hope and energy. Where are you denying reality? Pull the band-aid off quickly. It will sting, but not forever.

When life is overwhelming, tedious, or frightening, it seems easier to let someone else take over. Sometimes it's better to let someone else make the decisions or call the shots. But when we do that too often, or when someone intimidates or manipulates us into acquiescing, we give away our personal power. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and despair.

Examine your life and look at ways you may be giving away your personal power. Being empowered means taking responsibility for all of your actions and choices. This can sometimes be hard or painful, but the reward is your freedom and self-respect. Reclaim your personal power, even if there is some fallout.

We all claim that our relationships are the most important parts of our lives. But quite often our most valued relationships get neglected as we allow less important for more demanding activities fill our time and attention. An untended relationship will eventually wither and die, leaving us unwittingly holding the bag.

Be honest with yourself. How might you be neglecting your most prized relationships? Are you truly offering the love and attention these people deserve? Begin to re-prioritize your actions and agenda so you can cultivate and care for the relationships you value.

We make a mistake and feel guilty. We hurt someone and feel guilty. We lie or deceive and feel guilty. We don't do what someone wants us to do and feel guilty.

Even after we apologize, we often still feel guilty. For some reason we believe that ongoing guilt will absolve us — that we deserve to feel bad to make amends for our sins, regardless of how large or small.

Guilt is our psyche's way of letting us know when we've acted against our integrity. It can also signal that we are allowing ourselves to be manipulated by someone. If you have done something wrong, apologize and do what needs to be done to make it right.

If someone tries to make you feel guilty, state your truth with confidence. Then consciously work to disengage from guilt. Once a situation is properly addressed, guilt does absolutely nothing for you except cause pain.

We often spend money on impulse, buying to satisfy a brief whim, to fill a void, or to impress. So much of what we spend money on doesn't offer any long term happiness or fulfillment .

Overspending often ties in with complicating our lives, creating more stuff, more tasks, and more responsibilities that we don't really want.

Question yourself every time you make a purchase. Why am I buying this? Does it meet a need? Does it offer long-term satisfaction? Can I truly afford this? Focus your spending primarily on real needs, experiences, and soul-enhancing material things.

Many of us who are analytical or who dwell in ideas and possibilities, spend a lot of time in our heads, pondering problems and solutions. We ruminate and pontificate, believing we can think ourselves to a result or resolution. But over-thinkers can get stuck in thought, living on a mental treadmill that leads nowhere.

If you are an over-thinker , you must hop off the treadmill and begin taking action. Sound thinking followed by regular action is the most powerful combination in the world. And action doesn't need to wait for thinking to be “complete.” In fact, action can lead to some of the best ideas you will ever have.

A body that is poorly nourished, overweight, and out-of-shape will make you feel bad in every way. Routinely neglecting your body is one of the worst life mistakes you can make.

Fortunately, it is always a correctable mistake. You know what to do. Move your body and eat healthily.

Like all emotions, anger comes and goes. But too often we attach truth and meaning to our angry feelings that aren't necessary. So we feed the anger because we feel justified, unheard, or disrespected. Then the anger feeds ill-health in mind, body, and spirit.

If you are able to look at your anger, see the senselessness of it, and simply disengage, then by all means do that. If you are unable to disengage, seek help from a counselor so your anger doesn't destroy you and those around you.

So many people never take the time examine themselves to see where they are making these life mistakes. Without awareness, change is impossible.

Give yourself the gift of time to reflect on these mistakes in your own life. If you haven't made them, how can you prevent them?

If you are living one or more of these mistakes right now, are you willing to take action to turn yourself and your life around?

What is your experience with these life mistakes? What other life mistakes have you encountered and self-corrected along your own personal journey?

43 thoughts on “Making Mistakes In Life You Don’t Need to Make (and How to Fix Them if You Do)”

Barrie, Where was this 20 years ago? Would not have mattered anyway, I was too hard-headed to listen. Looking at the list does make me think of how much heartache and general unhappiness we could save ourselves. Most of our troubles are self-inflicted. But seems like it takes 50 yrs on the planet to gain the wisdom to have this perspective. Those who can do it sooner can reap exponential benefits. Enjoyed the post.

Hi David, Yes, it took me 50 years as well! Some of the lessons I figured out earlier, but most have come as a result of trial and error. I do wonder if someone had taught me about these mistakes earlier, I might have listened and taken action. I’d like to think so. But sometimes you just have to arrive when you are emotionally ready. I’m so glad you liked the post.

Regarding #3, are you trying to say I’m not . . . Right?

This one makes me smile because my mother is and always has been RIGHT and I continue to struggle with that one quite a bit myself. But your fix is right – learning to look at things from a different angle has been very freeing.

And I agree with David, too. These are such great tips and I can only hope that younger people WON’T be hard-headed and will take them to heart.

Of course, being also middle-aged, I have made all of these mistakes myself, but I’m doing better at most of them. I

Well, of course I’m right about that.

Maybe you are right, maybe not. 🙂 Yes, there are always two (or more) sides to every situation. It is hard to live with an “always right” person. But I find by smiling and simply saying, “You could be right,” you diffuse the situation without committing yourself. There are times in life when you need to make a stand on an issue, but unless you are in politics, those times are few and far between!

Nice post! When I read it i tried to pick my top three that applied to me so that I could choose to work on a solution. But I ended up with six so now I really need to work. 🙂

I really identified with Number 6 about staying stagnant. It is what we do when we get safe and secure. Life becomes a bit mundane and yet we choose not to move forward because it is also pretty comfy.

I am leaving a big (as in income) job in January. I have had a target for my 55th birthday and have been working on it as a 5 year plan. (Overthinking maybe…) But I am ready now and it is still a bit of a leap but ….

Hi Kelly, Focus on one at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed! Especially with the bigger challenges. It sounds like you have already dealt with the stagnation mistake. Leaving a big job is a bold move. Bravo for you. Happy leaping!

As I went through this list I was smiling to myself. I kept on saying “done that, done that, done that…” there were 15 mistakes so I must have said it 15 times.

Mistake #3: Believing You Are Right really stuck out to me. When I was younger I was sure that my way was always the best way. Then when I got out of college I had a job that kicked the crap out of me. I had no option but to listen to people as I was struggling so much that I needed any help I could find. One of the other things I have learned is that often when I let people fully flush out their ideas (even when I initially disagree) I often end up agreeing with them. I really work hard on not interrupting and being a good listener. There have been countless times when I let someone finish and I think “wow, in the beginning I completely disagreed and now I totally agree”.

Mistake 12: overthinking is definitely one I have fallen victim too many a time. My father calls it analysis paralysis. Which I think sums it up rather nicely. I have learned that in general my instincts are pretty good. But there are still times when I battle with this.

A very informative post.

Hi Izzy, You are so fortunate to have learned to overcome these mistakes at a young age. Many people (myself included) don’t get there for a long time — or never! I love your dad’s description of overthinking — analysis paralysis. I may have to borrow that for a future post. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. We can all learn from them.

Bless you for these terrific, insightful posts. I can add nothing to what the other good people have said already. Barrie, Thank you, so very much…

You are so welcome Andrew. I’m so delighted you found them useful for you.

This is really great, Barrie. I especially relate to #3 just because it’s the most effective way to grow as a person, morally and intellectually. The more single-minded we are (in the sense that we refuse to consider any other perspective), the less likely we will be to develop wisdom and a moral perspective that’s not very narrow and incomplete. While I’m pretty strong in my beliefs, it’s because I’ve opened myself literally to a world of ideas, culled from them what I think are the best ones and rejected some I felt strongly were not consistent with my understanding of what’s right. But I was opened to them being right, just found them lacking. But here’s the point: it was in the interaction with other ideas that made me more confident in the beliefs I’m solid about today. And, by the way, the boats still out on some beliefs I haven’t been convinced yet been convinced in either direction.

Thanks for this wise post, Barrie. Just loved it!

I totally agree Ken. Opening yourself to other perspectives and have a learning attitude can help you better form your own beliefs. I have finally come to admit that there are very few things I “know” for sure. I might have a strong feeling or inkling about them, but I still try to keep my mind open. There is so much too learn from everyone, even when it doesn’t fit with your own personal operating system!

This is brilliant!!! Thank you so much! This puts so much into perspective, I’m guilty of most of these mistakes mostly because of mistake # 8: Giving my power away. I know what I have to do now so thank you so so much!!:-)))) Blessings of love and light to you, Barrie:-))

Thank you Cheyenne. I’m so glad you like them. Awareness is the first step toward change. Once we become aware of mistakes or misguided decisions, you feel compelled to change. So you are on the way! 🙂

Hi Barrie, How you managed to pack so much into a list of 15 is amazing. Pretty much everything seems to be covered in what you wrote. Thank you so much! I am inclined to print this out and give it to my clients as part of the intake checklist!

Love your content!

Hi Kristin, You are so welcome. I’m so glad you found it useful — please do print it out!

I love that you offer practical ideas for self-correction! Super helpful! I have also made many of the mistakes on the list. Somehow, I’ve even been creative enough to make more than one mistake at one time. Now THAT takes talent! 🙂

Mistake #11 + #12

Over the past couple of years, I’ve purchased an obscene number of books/courses/programs, etc. I justify it by telling myself these things are necessary for my development. How can wanting to grow and evolve be wrong?

But then I over-think the concepts and insights I gain from the material. I spend so much time analyzing the book, taking notes, and discussing the ideas with other people that I never get around to taking action.

I’m going on a self help book spending freeze, cold turkey. No new materials for 6 months. I’m also going to pick ONE of the books I already have and allow myself only 24 hours to process the material. I will then create a short ACTIONABLE list and act on it within 24 hours…or else….Let’s see how this goes :).

Thanks for the post!

Way to go Alana! That is the way to make things happen in your life. Now you have proclaimed it publicly so you must follow though. Will you come back and let us know how it goes?

I’ll certainly come back and let you guys know how it goes. Accountability is exactly what I need! 🙂

I’m proud to say I’ve stuck to my self help book spending freeze so far! I did buy The Alchemist the other day but I’m not counting that 😀

Most of the goals I set for myself dealt with career and finances. I wanted to find other sources of income and also to pursue a writing career in earnest. The very first action step I took was to actually begin to call myself a writer. When people ask me what I do, I now say that I’m a writer as opposed to an academic counselor (my “day” job). It has been a powerful shift in my perception of myself and my abilities. I really feel like a writer!

My other action steps involved writing more and generating more exposure for my writing. I’ll admit I set the bar pretty low. I told myself I was only going to write for an hour a day. But, it has worked in my favor because I actually end up doing much more than that. This makes me feel like I’ve gone over and above and I have a greater sense of accomplishment.

As a result of doing these things, I’ve been published twice this month and have several other pieces in varying stages of acceptance. I was also offered the opportunity to do some freelance writing in the personal development genre! Woo hoo!

One of the major messages of The Alchemist was once you commit to your “Personal Legend” and take steps toward fulfilling it, things begin to align to support you. I truly believe that and have seen it work in my life.

Thanks again for the post!

Good stuff! For me step #4 hits home the most. It’s human nature to want to please others especially your family and friends. Unfortunately, by doing that sometimes we are hurting ourselves whether it’s personally or professionally. People perceive you to be a certain way and they want you to live up to their standards. When you tell someone no and do things your way, many times they will be offended. It’s a shame that people are like this especially our own loved ones. In life you have to do what’s best for you because ultimately, you are the one that’s going to have to live with the decisions you make. If I’m going to be wrong, I want it to be because of a mistake on my behalf, not because I did what someone else told me to do. Great article!

As I went through your list I felt like I had made every single one of those mistakes. Which I guess isn’t a bad thing as long as I am learning from them. I think the one that stuck out to me the most and is the most tricky for me is number 3:

“Mistake #3: Believing You Are Right”

I think this is one is difficult because there are moments when I am actually right. There are other moments when my arrogance can get the best of me. It is such a fine line.

One of the things I battled with a lot earlier this year is being to open to advice. I would take everyone’s feedback and consequentially end up creating Frankenstein. But on the other end of that is refusing to take anyone’s feedback. That doesn’t work either. It is a very fine balance. I would even call it an art. The ability to know when to listen to ourselves and to listen to others.

15 lessons is powerful. Really it is almost too much for me to process. That is why I had to take it one at a time.

Dear Writer…please accept my sincere thanks on the compilation….It touched me…..i say me….a person who has literally achieved the peak in his life, career etc….and two years ago fallen to the deep hallow due to many mistakes i have done in your list….like helping others over my limits…spending too much….god….today struggling to live….thank you for the wonderful post

I’m doing around 13 of the mistakes mentioned here… There’s a lot to change…

I am so glad I am reading this at 20. I see so many adult making these mistakes and wanting to fix them but putting it off.

One I would think about adding myself would be Not Having Balance in Life. It is a combination of 9, 13, and 15, but attacks at the root problem of devoting all of one’s time to one thing and neglecting others.

Why do keep making the.same mistakes? Why cant I commit to a choice and.be strong.enough To see it through?

I hate that I keep hurting myself through selfishness and lack of self control…

What can I do?

My god! I feel so accomplished.. if this was a test, I’d get an A+ for managing to make 15 out of the 15 mistakes. … pbbhtt………

So interesting! I have been victim of many. Please I ask for permission to print this out for better guidance. Thanks for this work Barrie

this is so gret though i still have a long way to thank God im still got more time im still 19 yr old

Hi Zion, You are so smart to pay attention to these ideas at such a young age. You have lots of time ahead, and it’s the best time right now to decide who you want to be and how you want to live your life.

It’s a beautiful article. I am 24 and have been dealing with guilt and regret lately, especially so as a couple of people close to me have been kind enough to bring up instances of my past, stirring up mixed emotions. On one side, I have wanted to let it go and not remember them, on the other side feeling rally guilty (though I had dealt with the emotions of guilt few years back and moved forward).

Your article has certainly given me an insight, and the courage that I do not need to keep beating myself up for my mistakes and misbehaviours even if others intend to make me.

Thanks a ton.

Thanks! I got solution for ‘overthinking’ and feeling guilt for not being as much good as I can be. May god bless you good people who improve others lives.

i has done very big mistake in my life i want to rectify it

I have a #16. Verbally and emotionally abusing your children. I was raised emotionally and verbally abused and swore NOT to be like my mom. My kids are 20 and 17 and recently enlightened me to the name calling and yelling, etc. I can’t take it back and there is no “fix”. I was already told all of the apologizing in the world won’t do any good. I suffer from bipolar and depression as well. I am totally screwed and too afraid to take my own life. I just hope and pray death comes soon and doesn’t hurt the way i so deserve it to…….I adore my kids. Too late…..

Great article and good advices to give the right fix to set everything right. I have written something similar, yet with a new perspective, on my blog.

What if mistakes are permanent ? After those mistakes life get stagnant ?

yes, what if they are permanent?

Mistake # 9 10 11 12 . I’ve been in a relationship with my bf for over a year now and he’s the best but I am not proud to say when we first got together I was doing the right thing such as allowing ppl to flirt with me and things of that nature . Even thou what I remmeber what I said wasn’t bad it still wasn’t right at all like I just allowed it like it wasn’t a big deal and it didn’t really hit me until months after everything like I have somebody so special and I let that happen the guilt was unimaginable . I never kissed touched anybody while we was in relationship nobody ever touched me in an inappropriate way either it’s more of the fact like how could I have been so careless of somebody that loves me to death I told him all about the situation he said we will fight threw it which we are but still after a year the guilt is there . It feels like i remember most things but not eveything its wondering that gets me like what if I said something I shouldn’t have said but I just don’t remember but then again if it was something that serious im quite sure I would of remember I love my bf so much he’s my world he doesn’t deserve to be hurt in anyway I talk to my friends about it and they’re like just try to move on yall still together it doesn’t take away the fact that I did hurt him by my actions I take responsibility for that . I know I will never ever let anything happen again it’s just not remembering everything that hurts so bad still to this day. I just don’t know how I am gonna completely stop feelings guilty I always wake up with a bad feeling. I try not to think about it but I can’t forget the fact I hurt somebody that I love more than anything

Barrie Davenport Thank you very much for your helpful post. I am also an over-thinker. Very well said, “And action doesn’t need to wait for thinking to be complete.”

Amazing Post! I needed this list 30 years ago, but I probably wouldn’t have listened anyway (see Mistake #7). My therapist should have given this list to me when I first visited. Would have saved ME a lot of money!! You should design posters of these (sort of like the ten commandments) and sell them to therapists all over the world to hang in their waiting rooms. Of course, it may just work better than the sessions so you may have your life threatened.

Have a great life!

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Essays About Life Lessons: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Read our guide to see the top examples and prompts on essays about life lessons to communicate your thoughts effectively.

Jordan Peterson once said, “Experience is the best teacher, and the worst experiences teach the best lessons.” The many life lessons we’ll accumulate in our life will help us veer in the right direction to fulfill our destinies. Whether it’s creative or nonfiction, as long as it describes the author’s personal life experiences or worldview, recounting life lessons falls under the personal or narrative essay category.

To successfully write an essay on this topic, you must connect with your readers and allow them to visualize, understand, and get inspired by what you have learned about life. To do this, you must remember critical elements such as a compelling hook, engaging story, relatable characters, suitable setting, and significant points.

See below five examples of life lessons essays to inspire you:

1. Life Lessons That the First Love Taught Me by Anonymous on GradesFixer.Com

2. the dad’s life lessons and the role model for the children by anonymous on studymoose.com, 3. studying history and own mistakes as life lessons: opinion essay by anonymous on edubirdie.com, 4. life lessons by anonymous on phdessay.com, 5. valuable lessons learned in life by anonymous on eduzaurus.com, 1. life lessons from books, 2. my biggest mistake and the life lesson i learned, 3. the life lessons i’ve learned, 4. life lessons from a popular show, 5. using life lessons in starting a business, 6. life lessons you must know, 7. kids and life lessons.

“I thought I knew absolutely everything about loving someone by the age of fourteen. Clearly I knew nothing and I still have so much to learn about what it is like to actually love someone.”

The author relates how their first love story unfolds, including the many things they learned from it. An example is that no matter how compatible the couple is if they are not for each other, they will not last long and will break up eventually. The writer also shares that situations that test the relationship, such as jealousy, deserve your attention as they aid people in picking the right decisions. The essay further tells how the writer’s relationship became toxic and affected their mental and emotional stability, even after the breakup. To cope and heal, they stopped looking for connections and focused on their grades, family, friends, and self-love.

“I am extremely thankful that he could teach me all the basics like how to ride a bike, how to fish and shoot straight, how to garden, how to cook, how to drive, how to skip a rock, and even how to blow spitballs. But I am most thankful that could teach me to stand tall (even though I’m 5’3”), be full with my heart and be strong with my mind.”

In this essay, the writer introduces their role model who taught them almost everything they know in their seventeen years of life, their father. The writer shares that their father’s toughness, stubbornness, and determination helped them learn to stand up for themselves and others and not be a coward in telling the truth. Because of him, the author learned how to be kind, generous, and mature. Finally, the author is very grateful to their father, who help them to think for themselves and not believe everything they hear.

“In my opinion, I believe it is more important to study the past rather than the present because we can learn more from our mistakes.”

This short essay explains the importance of remembering past events to analyze our mistakes. The author mentions that when people do this, they learn and grow from it, which prevents them from repeating the same error in the present time. The writer also points out that everyone has made the mistake of letting others dictate how their life goes, often leading to failures.

“… I believe we come here to learn a valuable lesson. If we did not learn this lesson through out a life time, our souls would come back to repeat the process.”

This essay presents three crucial life lessons that everyone needs to know. The first is to stop being too comfortable in taking people and things for granted. Instead, we must learn to appreciate everything. The second is to realize that mistakes are part of everyone’s life. So don’t let the fear of making mistakes stop you from trying something new. The third and final lesson is from Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” People learn and grow as they age, so everyone needs to remember to live their life as if it were their last with no regrets.

“Life lessons are not necessarily learned from bad experiences, it can also be learned from good experiences, accomplishments, mistakes of other people, and by reading too.”

The essay reminds the readers to live their life to the fullest and cherish people and things in their lives because life is too short. If you want something, do not let it slip away without trying. If it fails, do not suffer and move on. The author also unveils the importance of travelling, keeping a diary, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

7 Prompts for Essays About Life Lessons

Use the prompts below if you’re still undecided on what to write about:

Essays about life lessons: Life lessons from books

As mentioned above, life lessons are not only from experiences but also from reading. So for this prompt, pick up your favorite book and write down the lessons you learned from it. Next, identify each and explain to your readers why you think it’s essential to incorporate these lessons into real life. Finally, add how integrating these messages affected you.

There are always lessons we can derive from mistakes. However, not everyone understands these mistakes, so they keep doing them. Think of all your past mistakes and choose one that had the most significant negative impact on you and the people around you. Then, share with your readers what it is, its causes, and its effects. Finally, don’t forget to discuss what you gained from these faults and how you prevent yourself from doing them again.

Compile all the life lessons you’ve realized from different sources. They can be from your own experience, a relative’s, a movie, etc. Add why these lessons resonate with you. Be creative and use metaphors or add imaginary scenarios. Bear in mind that your essay should convey your message well.

Popular shows are an excellent medium for teaching life lessons to a broad audience. In your essay, pick a well-known work and reflect on it. For example, Euphoria is a TV series that created hubbub for its intrigue and sensitive themes. Dissect what life lessons one can retrieve from watching the show and relate them to personal encounters. You can also compile lessons from online posts and discussions.

If the subject of “life lessons” is too general for you, scope a more specific area, such as entrepreneurship. Which life lessons are critical for a person in business? To make your essay easier to digest, interview a successful business owner and ask about the life lessons they’ve accumulated before and while pursuing their goals.

Use this prompt to present the most important life lessons you’ve collected throughout your life. Then, share why you selected these lessons. For instance, you can choose “Live life as if it’s your last” and explain that you realized this life lesson after suddenly losing a loved one.

Have you ever met someone younger than you who taught you a life lesson? If so, in this prompt, tell your reader the whole story and what life lesson you discovered. Then, you can reverse it and write an incident where you give a good life lesson to someone older than you – say what it was and if that lesson helped them. Read our storytelling guide to upgrade your techniques.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Regret / My Biggest Regret In Life

My Biggest Regret In Life

Category: Life , Sociology
Topic: Personal Experience , Personal Life , Regret

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