Embrace Mistakes

As successful as they are, the great fundraisers seek men and women to pattern their life and work after. They search for role models.

In one of Martin Burber’s books, he speaks of the saying of a wise Rabbi of the first century: “The good Lord has so created man that everyone can make every conceivable mistake on his own! Don’t ever try to learn from other people’s mistakes. Learn what other people do right.”

The great fundraisers look for those who do things right. They become their heroes. Their mentors.

There’s the story of the second grader who wrote an essay on the life of Socrates: “Socrates was a philosopher. He went around pointing out errors in people and the way things were done wrong. They fed him hemlock.”

Learn from what others do right. You will be establishing your journey on the road to success.

Adopt an error-embracing mode. Make errors your friends. Embrace them and learn from others.

Follow this dictum. I promise you that even your errors will be remembered someday with pleasure.