I have made many decisions that I probably shouldn't have made

“I have made many decisions that I probably shouldn’t have made, but life is about making mistakes, learning and moving on.” – Shamita Shetty

In this humble confession, Shamita Shetty speaks with the honesty of one who has wrestled with life and emerged wiser for the struggle. These words, though simple, echo a timeless truth: that the path of life is paved not with perfection, but with mistakes, learning, and the strength to move on. She does not speak as one unscarred by error, but as one who has looked upon her own missteps with compassion. In doing so, she reminds us that error is not the enemy of growth — it is its teacher. For it is only through stumbling that the soul learns the rhythm of walking upright.

The ancients would nod in agreement, for they too knew that wisdom grows from the soil of failure. In the temples of old Greece, above the oracle of Delphi, were written the words: “Know thyself.” And what is self-knowledge, if not the awareness born of mistakes? The wise do not flee from their errors; they study them, they bleed through them, they rise because of them. Mistakes are the mirrors that show us who we are and who we are meant to become. To deny them is to deny one’s own humanity.

Consider the tale of Thomas Edison, who failed thousands of times in his quest to bring light to the world. When asked if he felt defeated by failure, he replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” In his words and in his labor lies the same spirit that Shetty speaks of — the sacred act of learning and moving on. Edison’s brilliance was not born from unbroken success, but from persistence through imperfection. Each mistake was a step, each wrong turn a torch leading him forward through the dark.

The decision is the beginning of every story, and not all decisions lead to triumph. Yet even the unwise choice carries within it the seed of enlightenment. To act, even imperfectly, is nobler than to remain still in fear of error. The timid soul that avoids choice avoids life itself. For life, as Shetty reminds us, is not a tapestry woven of only right threads — it is a patchwork of missteps, recoveries, and awakenings. The beauty lies not in its symmetry, but in its endurance.

There is a divine rhythm in the cycle of mistake, learning, and renewal. The fall humbles us; reflection restores us; and perseverance redeems us. The strong do not curse their past; they use it as fuel. The river does not lament the rocks that obstruct its path — it learns to flow around them. So too must we, when confronted by our own wrong turns, bend and adapt rather than break. Each wound, if tended with honesty, becomes wisdom.

Shamita Shetty’s words rise from the heart of experience, a voice tempered by self-awareness. In them speaks the courage of one who has faced regret but refused to be imprisoned by it. The moving on she speaks of is not forgetfulness — it is forgiveness. It is the art of releasing oneself from the chains of yesterday, to walk freely into tomorrow. It is to say, “Yes, I have erred — and yet I live, I grow, I continue.”

So let this be the teaching for all who walk the winding road of life: do not fear mistakes. Fear, instead, the refusal to learn. Fear the stagnation that comes from pride or shame. When you fall, rise. When you fail, reflect. When you regret, release. The wise are not those who never stumble, but those who never stop walking. For life is not a monument of flawless choices — it is a dance of resilience, where each misstep brings rhythm to the soul.

And when the night of failure descends upon you, remember: even the stars burn only after collapse. Every mistake can be the spark of a greater becoming. Learn, forgive, and move on — for this is how the mortal becomes eternal, and the wounded heart becomes wise.