Episode 7

 


Welcome 

Here we are again, friends of reflection, here on **Book of Inner Life**, to share our thoughts on a new chapter of *Pedagogy of the Soul*. Welcome to Episode 7, dedicated to Chapter named: " I'm afraid of making mistakes"

Welcome to a new adventure of discovery and reflection!

Today, I am opening a new chapter in our series inspired by the book that explores one of the deepest and most universal fears of human beings—the fear of making mistakes. 

In each episode, we will journey together through the pages of this remarkable book, adding our own reflections and interpretations. This is not just a simple reading, but an active exploration of how our beliefs about "mistakes" shape our lives, relationships, and ability to learn.

The author invites us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about mistakes, failures, and the learning process. Through her own experience as an English teacher and martial arts practitioner, she shows us how we can transform fear into courage, shame into curiosity, and rigidity into fluidity.

Today's episode: "I'm afraid to make mistakes."

Let us be guided by this wisdom and discover together how we can unleash our true potential, free from the chains of fear of being imperfect.






This chapter – "I'm afraid of making mistakes" – is a profound and liberating meditation on the fear of failure, one of the most paralyzing emotions cultivated in us since childhood. Ana invites us to look at mistakes not just differently, but completely opposite to how we were taught.

This beautiful chapter explores one of the most profound challenges of the human experience—the fear of failure and its impact on learning and personal growth. Your text sensitively addresses how traditional educational systems can create barriers to natural learning.



🌱 1. Fear of making mistakes – a learned program, not a reality


"How can I know that I am making a mistake about something I don't even know?"


This question is at the heart of the entire chapter. Ana does not criticize mistakes, but rather the artificial construction of fear around mistakes:


How do we know it's "wrong"?


Who sets the standard?


Why are we ashamed?


She describes how, both in her personal life and as an English teacher, she has encountered this fear everywhere – especially in children and adults who do not express themselves for fear of being wrong, judged, or excluded.


⚔️ 2. Mistakes – deconstructing a collective trauma

Ana states:

"I was always afraid of making mistakes. So I stopped doing things."


It's a universal confession.

Many of us have been taught that:


mistakes are punished,


questions are ridiculed,


a low grade means "you're not good enough."


She proposes a total reconfiguration of mistakes:


"Mistakes are successes. They are eternal transformations."


"Mistakes lead you to mastery."


πŸ₯‹ 3. The lesson on the tatami: the black belt and the white belt are equal

Ana draws an extraordinary analogy from martial arts, where:

mistakes are part of progress,

the master respects the process,

humility and perseverance are essential

.

"The humility of a black belt cannot be different from that of a white belt."


It is a lesson about respect, balance, and accepting the process.


🧠 4. The source of fear: the educational, religious, and family systems


Ana investigates the root of fear:


school: where you are graded and shamed,


family: where you are punished,


religion: where you are guilty of "mistakes."


"Where did we learn that making mistakes is painful? Shameful? Bad?"


This question is an invitation to unlearn—to return to the freedom of the child who learns without fear, who does not know that they "do not know," and therefore dares.


πŸ’‘ 5. True wisdom is in NOT knowing


"I believe that not knowing is true wisdom."


This is one of the most beautiful phrases in the book. Ana says that:


"stupidity" does not exist,


but only a judgment born of fear and insecurity,

questions are what create progress, not memorized answers.


πŸͺž 6. Shame comes from outside—but only if we allow it


>"When we give power to shame, we give power to the outside world over us."


It is a lesson in inner autonomy:


It is not the teacher who makes us look foolish, but our own belief that it is shameful not to know.


It is not the mistake that brings us down, but the misguided projection of its meaning.


🏫 7. School and the grading system – between reality and the need for reform


Ana is honest: she understands that school must evaluate. But she proposes a new way of looking at evaluation:


Not as a label,


but as an inner challenge to grow, to learn easily, gently, not with fear.


"People living realities they cannot bear... All to fuel a mechanical system."


It is a gentle but lucid criticism of an educational system that forgets the soul of the child.


⚖️ 8. Ana does NOT propose utopia – but balance


"I believe in balance.
I believe that patience is mastery.
I believe that bullying hurts.
I believe in redefining words that destroy."


She does NOT reject discipline or fairness, but she asks for:


empathy, gentleness, understanding,


replacing punishment with learning,


the use of firm but loving words.



🌌 9. Truth will always prevail – and we are its face


Ana speaks from a deeply spiritual consciousness:


"We are like children playing with plasticine.

That is what we are to God.

To Creation.

For our Higher Self."

She reminds us:

To let go of what hurts us,

To return to love,

To recognize our value, not in perfection, but in the process.


🌸 10. Final – a call to disarmament and love


 "Let down your guard."

"When you love yourself, you don't carry weapons. You carry flowers."

"How can I give myself more love?"

This conclusion is a prayer, a meditation, and a mission:

To stop fighting with mistakes,

Let us no longer blame ourselves for not knowing,

Let us no longer confuse ignorance with guilt.

It is a declaration of inner freedom and an invitation to rehumanization:


 "What would our schools and homes be like if this were the case?"


🧭 Conclusion

"I'm afraid to make mistakes" is a chapter that:

disarms the rational mind,

heals shame,

redefines the idea of progress,

revives the courage of the curious child in each of us.

This journey is getting deeper and deeper and bringing you closer and closer to the truth that sets you free:

oday's reflections bring us a revolutionary perspective on learning and personal growth. As Claude said in his commentary on this chapter: *"This fear of making mistakes is not just a pedagogical problem, but an existential problem that affects our ability to explore, express ourselves, and evolve."*

The idea that mistakes can be transformed into mastery, that vulnerability can become strength, and that accepting our imperfections can lead us to a deeper love for ourselves—these are invitations to an inner revolution.

The question we are left with today is the one the author so beautifully poses: **"How can I give myself more love? How can I love myself more?"**

Perhaps the answer begins with accepting that we are always learning, always evolving, always imperfect, and therefore perfectly human.

**What do you think? 

How do these ideas resonate with your experience? What fears about making mistakes limit you and how could you transform them?**

I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to join us next week for the next episode of this transformative journey.

With love and acceptance,

Somebody [J E]

Making mistakes isn't something to be ashamed of.
It's a sign that you're learning.
And that you have the courage to be alive."

See you tomorrow for next Episode!






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