Johnny Cash once said, “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” I believe this mindset is essential while learning from your mistakes. Learning from your mistakes is easily comparable to a camera and developing photography. You need to focus on the positive, learn and move on, and take another shot at succeeding.

Just as you focus in on a shot on a camera, it is imperative to focus in on the good while learning from your mistakes. It is extremely important to stay positive and not get down on yourself. An optimistic spirit will get you much farther than a negative view on the situation. Review good memories just as you would look at old photographs in order to move forward. You need to remember what you are working for; set a goal and strive for it. Sometimes you need to act as the zoom on your camera. While it is usually a good thing to go forward, you may need to take a step back and make things clear as to what your next move is going to be. There is always something causing your mistake. While operating a camera, you may not have it on the correct setting or simply forget to switch the flash on. In life it could be anything such as family problems, grade problems, or an obstacle standing in your way for a varsity spot on the volleyball team. Once you have pinpointed the problem it is much easier to correct.

While in the process of correcting your mistake, it is important to learn and move on from it just as you would develop the negatives in a camera. In order to be successful in learning from your mistake, you need to develop as an individual from the experience. You must take out the bad and insert the good just as you would edit a picture. This may include cropping sections out that are weighing you down in life; only keep the things that are helping you meet your goal. Sometimes learning from your mistake could be simply solved from looking at it from a different angle just as you would rotate your picture. Maybe you just need to tweak a few things such as the contrast, lighting, or exposure, but once you have them all fit to perfection you will succeed. Experiment with different effects while editing your picture just as you devise a plan to solve your problem.

Solving your problem could require multiple attempts, so it is important that you take another chance just like you would take another shot on a camera. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, and try again,” William Edward Hickson states. Always take advantage of those second or third chances that are frequently dealt out with caution, and if you are not fortunate enough to receive an extra chance, move forward. You need to strive for perfection while aiming to meet your goal, just as you would hope for the best picture. Do not give up easily; persistence will pay off for you in the long run.

Keep pursuing your goal with your motivation level set high. Maintaining a positive attitude, developing from your mistake, moving on, and taking another chance are all keys to learning from your mistakes. Just as Johnny Cash said, it is important that you do not dwell on your mistake but that you do not totally forget about it. Comparable to a camera, you need to take another shot.