Potential is hidden within mistakes.

It feels good to study and fill a page with checkmarks.

When you get an 'X', you feel a bit down, as if you yourself have been rejected.

Surely, many people have felt that way before. But I have come to think of it this way.

Isn't time spent studying without getting any 'X's actually the same as not learning anything at all?

Today, I would like to write about the true nature of 'mistakes,' which we tend to avoid.

A 'check' is merely a confirmation task.

When you take a test or solve a workbook and everything is marked with a check, it looks like you have learned perfectly at first glance. However, if you think about it calmly, that is just reconfirming 'what you already know.'

For example, suppose you are reviewing English vocabulary and you have 100 words that you can write the meanings for fluently. That time is certainly pleasant, but you haven't gained a single new word.

You have just traced what you can already do. There is no new discovery or improvement in ability there. To put it harshly, it is a confirmation task of 'maintaining the status quo.'

Studying begins the moment you get an 'X'.

True 'learning' starts the moment your pen stops and an 'X' is marked in the answer box.

Getting an 'X' means that is the 'boundary of your knowledge.' 'I didn't know this,' 'I misunderstood how to use this formula,' 'I overlooked this condition.'

I myself have gotten an 'X' in the same place many times on past exams. At first, I was just frustrated, but when I read the explanations thoroughly and understood the structure of 'why I made a mistake,' I felt for the first time a solid sense that 'Ah, the knowledge has now become my own.'

An 'X' is not a mark that rejects you. It is a 'map of growth' that tells you the path you should take next.

Rewriting mistakes into a 'positive process'

The important thing is not to be afraid of mistakes. Many people take it negatively when they get an 'X,' thinking 'I'm no good,' but in reality, it is the opposite.

I got an 'X.' Lucky me, if I fix this, I can become even stronger.

Whether or not you can think that way determines the speed of your growth. Facing mistakes means having the strength to admit your own weaknesses. It is an extremely positive process for updating yourself.

In conclusion

If you are studying and feel like you are going to get depressed because 'today was full of mistakes,' please say this to yourself.

Say to yourself, "I found so many chances to grow today."

There is no meaning in efficiently collecting only correct answers.
Face the incorrect ones head-on, and turn each one into a correct answer.
I believe that the process of trial and error is what true "study" is.

[Happy news] It has been added to a magazine! 📝✨

Thank you for choosing it for such a wonderful magazine!
While it is not about failing on purpose, I hope this article, which affirms the process of trial and error to move forward, can lighten someone's heart. Thank you so much for your always warm support‼️🚀🌈