988. "Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own."

"Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own." Aesop

In a past post I wrote about learning from your mistakes. The truth is that mistakes and misfortunes happen to everyone and you must learn from them to become better. However, you are not always required to be the one who makes the mistake. Many mistakes can be avoided by studying others. In school I was always told that we take History courses so we do not repeat the past. I believe this should relate to all aspects of life. If the mistake has been made, why not try to learn about it?

The only way you can learn from others mistakes is to either see it happen or read about it. This is why I encourage reading a lot of books, especially autobiographies and any book that the author gives insight about his trials and tribulations. Also mistakes are made everyday but many people, so be observant and you can avoid these same incidents.

Mistakes are part of life, and you will certainly make many in your life. The goal here is to avoid all that are possible, and by learning from others you will be more equipped to spot and avoid a mistake before it happens. So start reading about other people mistakes and start observing people as they make and recover from their misfortunes.