Life constantly tests our resilience - sometimes through outside challenges, other times through problems we create for ourselves. But how do we stay strong when we cause the trouble?

For example, I recently cut my thumb while cooking, even though I knew the mandoline was sharp. I felt embarrassed and guilty because I had been warned. Mistakes like this can make us feel bad, but they also teach us important lessons.

Dr. Susan David says, "Discomfort is the price of a meaningful life." Mistakes, while painful, help us grow. It's up to us to decide if a challenge is a setback or a learning moment. Though my injury hurt, it’s just a small part of my life story.

In his book Antifragile, Dr. Nassim Nicholas Taleb talks about how resilience is more than just surviving tough situations; it’s about learning and growing from them. Being "antifragile" means gaining strength from challenges, not just brushing them off.

A great way to build this strength is by adopting a Growth Mindset. This mindset embraces the idea of "yet"—“I can’t do this... yet.” By seeing challenges as part of a process, we move toward growth.

In my case, I learned from the thumb cut: how not to use the mandoline, how to write with my off-hand, and how supportive my community is.

No one likes mistakes, but they’re inevitable. The key is to learn from them and grow stronger.