Laughing at our mistakes helps us learn and grow

The other day, I was having drinks with my neighbor. We were chatting about some issues in our neighborhood, and I said I would write a letter to “nip this in the butt.”

My neighbor burst out laughing and said, “Did you just say ‘nip this in the butt’? It’s ‘nip it in the bud’!”

We both started laughing so hard. For years, I thought the phrase was about a butt, not a bud. Even after living in the US for 36 years (as a native German speaker), I still have much to learn about the English language!

Here’s another one. My website highlights that my yoga classes are “without woo-woo.”

This week, I learned that one of my students thought that no woo-woo meant no ra-ra. She liked that concept because she hates overly enthusiastic people shouting at her even if it’s well intended. Christine, the anti-cheerleader?

No. Woo-woo refers to unconventional beliefs with little or no scientific basis, such as believing in the power of crystals or using yoga cues that don't make scientific sense: “breathe into your hips” (we can only breathe into our lungs) or “don't ever let your knee go in front of your ankle" (have you ever tried walking up the stairs?). My yoga cues are based on knowledge of anatomy, not woo-woo.

We had a good laugh about that misunderstanding, too!

These little misunderstandings could have embarrassed or upset us, but instead, we laughed at ourselves. Laughing at our mistakes helps us learn and grow without taking ourselves too seriously. It’s a wonderful way to handle life’s little mix-ups.

So, what’s the lesson here? Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and be willing to try something new, even at the risk of looking silly.

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

Let's take yoga as an example. If you’re worried about looking silly in a yoga class, remember that everyone makes mistakes, and that’s perfectly okay! In my classes, we laugh, learn, and grow together. There’s no shame in trying and learning something new.

Have a wonderful week, and I hope to see you on the mat soon!

Cheers,

Christine

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