Mistakes Are Ice: Learn to Glide

Mistakes can be like ice—slippery, cold, and seemingly unforgiving. When we resist them, gripping too tightly to the need for perfection, we risk falling hard, time and time again. Yet, if we change our stance and include mistakes as a natural part of our journey, they lose their sharp edge. Instead, they become a surface to glide across, something to learn from and appreciate.

The problem is how we define success. For many, success means avoiding mistakes entirely, as if they are stains on an otherwise pristine record. This mindset makes every slip feel monumental, turning what could be a moment of growth into a posture of defeat. But what if mistakes weren’t failures? What if they were simply steps in a larger dance? Changing how we view mistakes is the first step toward moving past them gracefully.

Performance is never about perfection; it’s about resilience. The best figure skaters don’t just practice jumps—they practice falling. Over and over, they hit the ice, not to punish themselves but to understand it, to know how it feels, and to prepare for recovery. In doing so, they transform the ice from an obstacle to a canvas. Mistakes, like their falls, are just part of the process.

If you redefine mistakes as part of your performance, you gain perspective. Instead of obsessing over what went wrong, you ask: What can I learn? How can this experience help me improve? Mistakes become less about personal failure and more about discovering the edges of your ability. They don’t hold you back; they push you forward.

This shift isn’t easy. It requires a mindset that values the long run over short-term pride. It’s tempting to cling to a sense of control by avoiding risk, but avoiding mistakes often means avoiding growth. The best performers, leaders, and creators know that to glide, you must first let yourself fall.

The beauty of the long run lies in seeing mistakes not as icy obstacles but as part of the landscape. Glide through them, adapt to their texture, and they will teach you to move with grace. Ice only wins if you stay frozen.