Mistakes are a gift, that you don't need to pretend to like
4th most common use case of AI in 2025 - enhanced learning, according to HBR Press.
If we are to survive and thrive through this era of rapid change - we need to get our learning muscle flexed.
And that’s where emotional regulation will also help.
AI can feed us information, can help us structure our learning efforts, can ensure we follow through but it can’t teach us how to navigate the discomfort of not knowing, of messing up, of falling short.
That's our emotional labor.
If we want to survive and thrive in a world of constant change, we have to strengthen our learning muscle. And that means getting better at making mistakes - and staying present enough to learn from them instead of shutting down, brushing them under the rug.
I was talking to a client recently who was upset after making a big mistake at work. She kept asking, “What’s wrong with me?” But that question shuts the door to growth.
Mistakes aren’t a sign something’s wrong with you. They’re an opportunity to figure out what wasn’t working - so you can do it better next time, so you can grow and improve.
It’s backed by neuroscience:
“Those who believe they can learn from mistakes show greater brain activity and are better at bouncing back after an error.”
Mistakes actually prime your brain to grow. That rush of frustration? It triggers adrenaline and dopamine - chemicals that open the door to learning and neuroplasticity.
But only if you don’t shut the door with shame or avoidance.
So no - emotional regulation doesn’t mean staying calm and pretending nothing happened, trying to like what went wrong. It means acknowledging,
“Angela, you just made a mistake. What happened? What can you learn from it? What system can you build to make it better next time?”
That’s self-leadership, that's self-regulation. That’s how you turn a setback into future leverage.
You don’t need to be emotionless, you are not AI. You need to feel, reflect, and adjust. That’s how we build our better future - one mistake at a time.
Want to grow?
Get better at getting it wrong. Not pretending you like it but seeing it for what it is - you key to open the door to better.