From the course: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

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Mistakes are creative fuel

Mistakes are creative fuel

From the course: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

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Mistakes are creative fuel

- I often talk about my love and appreciation of Bob Ross, the painter. One of the most famous things that Bob said in his lifetime was, "We don't make mistakes. We have happy accidents." But what does that mean? In the context of painting, Bob was saying if you make an accidental brush stroke, it might actually turn into something good. In a professional sense, we also occasionally make errant brushstrokes, so to speak. We do something unexpected. We say things in a way other than what we intended. These mistakes can be fuel for creativity. Our world is filled with mistakes that created something lasting, from microwave ovens to matchsticks. For one specific example, scientist Dr. Spencer Silver was trying to make a strong adhesive for 3M but mistakenly created something that stuck to surfaces only lightly. This happy accident resulted in Post-it Notes. If you or someone at work makes a mistake, consider…

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