Though many may try to live life flawlessly, navigating through all the ups and downs as gracefully as possible, we still sometimes bang around like bulls in china shops.
We misread important instructions and do the wrong thing for way too long. We make split decisions that, in hindsight, were absurdly ill-advised.
We even think things through and botch it in the end.
Sometimes, however, the consequences of those mistakes end up surprising us. The fruits of our screw-ups are unforeseen, but can make all the difference.
Redditor HypnoViber asked:
"What is a mistake you've made that actually made something better?"
Many people shared stories about the mistakes they made while performing in front of an audience. It seemed like the most embarrassing possible time for a mixup, but it all turned out fine.
Throwing Them a Bone
"At a public event, I was accompanying the National Anthem on the organ and inadvertently played it in a lower key than the original score."
"Doing so made the higher notes much easier to sing for the assembled crowd."
"Later, people thanked me for playing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in a comfortable key - the first time they'd ever been able to "hit the high notes" without straining!"
-- Back2Bach
Catapulting Careers
"I work in television. A few years ago I was a background PA (I help set Extras in a TV show and give them their actions). Anyways the scene taking place was that the main character was being checked by a doctor in an office with the door open (weird but I don't make those decisions)."
"I sent an extra down that hallway and told him to go inside the office to the right - the one across from where the scene was happening."
"I guess this guy didn't hear me correctly but during the scene he went into the office where the scene was happening, upon realizing his mistake he played along as if he were part of the scene and gave them an: Oops! And the actors reacted to him, making the scene funnier."
"My boss was quick to yell at me but the director came out and asked who made the decision because it was awesome! Of course, my boss stopped yelling."
"They decided to upgrade the extra and add his line. The man went from getting paid $125 a day to making a bit more than $1k for saying the word Oops!"
"The guy thanked me profusely because he was in desperate need of money and this was going to help him with rent. All throughout the day, he thanked me. My mistake made someone so happy. It made my day."
Stage Presence
"In a mandatory college speech class I accidentally left my note cards in my sleeves when it was my turn to talk and I quickly took them out. The rest of the class thought it was a magic trick or something and some even clapped."
"I was stunned for a few seconds not knowing what just happened"
-- zjanus89
Other Redditors remembered the times cooking a recipe got a whole lot better thanks to a misread.
Cut Out the Middle Man
"Made the wrong burger for an order at work. Turns out the server rung it in wrong and that's what it was supposed to be."
A Mistake Made Permanent
"I misread a chili recipe that called for tamari (a type of soy sauce) and put tahini (sesame seed paste). It was creamy and delicious! I realized my mistake the next time I made it, but to this day I still put tahini in it."
Double It
"We were making lasagna with my great grandmother. She made it in an assembly line type fashion because she would freeze a ton and then once a week, pull it out, and toss it in the oven."
"One day we were doing this and we had to take a quick break to help great-grandpa bring in groceries. Five lasagnas got double the garlic, and we already put tons in in the first place."
"Those five lasagnas were like a fun game a Russian roulette. You could smell when one of the double lasagnas were in the oven. Great grandma doubled the garlic forever after that."
-- ElChupaTata
The End of a Nasty Habit
"I ashed a cigarette in a glass that had a drink in it (don't ask me why). I accidentally picked it up and took the biggest swig of what I thought was my scotch- I projectile vomited, and never touched another cigarette"
-- Muriana_of
And of course, there were stories of romance. When love and relationships often come down to right place and right time, the mistakes that lead us there can seem like amazing luck.
The Wrong (Right) Dude
"I approached a dude in high school thinking he was someone else I met the other day. (I was new to this school and still learning who people were). I didn't realize this until days later when he told me. However we became best friends."
"He eventually introduced me to my future wife who I now have a family with. A simple case of mistaken identity shaped my whole life."
-- Actuaryba
Against Expectations
"A friend asked me on a date and I panicked and said yes even though I had no interest in him romantically. I spent the next day freaking out about going on the date and feeling like it was a mistake, that I didn't want to lead him on or ruin our friendship."
"We've been together for 5 months and it's the best relationship I've ever been in. I love him so much and he's so good to me."
Destiny via Bureaucracy
"I forgot to register for college in the fall after high school, then didn't fill out the right paperwork for the spring, and ended up starting a year late at the community college."
"It ended up working out, though. I met my wife that first semester in a freshman math class. If I didn't fu** up my registration, I never would have met her, nor would our kids be born."
"So you could say it worked out."
-- Pl0xnoban
Perhaps these stories offer an apt reminder to keep yourself open to what may come, even when it feels like you screwed up royally.
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