聽神談【關於「錯誤」與「失敗」】
所有的孩童（及所有的人）實際上都從他們所犯的每個「錯誤」而得到獎賞。他們的獎賞就是他們「從發生的事情中所學到的」東西。
尼爾：哦，真厲害。好一個「獎賞」喔。
等一下。這可不是件小事。你從你人生中所學到的東西，能帶給你不可思議的好處。 (What you learn from your life can bring you incredible benefit.)
科學家們了解這點，那就是爲什麽科學研究者會真實地喜歡玩味他們的「錯誤」 (relish their “mistakes”)。一個「沒搞成」的實驗實際上是一個導向搞成功的「好」實驗。
這在人生中的各行各業裡也都是如此(This is also true in every walk of life.)。每個行動與决定的獎賞是巨大的，當你將它們總加起來，並以這觀點去思考它們時，你會真正開始欣賞它們。
在地球上，沒有一個人不曾在某一點下結論說，他們一度視爲「巨大錯誤」的東西，結果事實上變成了一個巨大的祝福。
你也一樣，有一天你終究會明白，並沒有「錯誤」這樣的一種東西(there is no such thing as a mistake)。
尼爾：嗯，這是一個有趣的觀點。
它是個可以改變你一生的「觀點」。 (It is a “point of view” that can change your life.)
思考一下：「錯誤」只是「失敗」的另一個字，而失敗並不存在。它是先前(前一次的公開對話是《與神合一》) 我在談的那些誤解當中的一個。它是個幻覺(illusion)。
在任何事情上，失敗是不可能的，而說某件事是一個「錯誤」，只是在宣告某一個「觀點」。
如果你視某個「錯誤」爲「邁向到達你想去的地方的一步」，那時，你根本就不會將它視爲一個「錯誤」。你會視之爲進步。
它會因此是完美的，而你會為之感激。你甚至會選擇去慶祝它。
在最好的公司裡，老闆和經理慶祝他們員工的「錯誤」，有時甚至舉辦派對，或給那員工一個額外獎金。
「現在我們都明白什麼是我們不要做的，以及我們如何不去做。」他們說。「這是朝向確保我們成功的一大步！」
這種公司政策下所産生的員工會創新，會探索延伸，不害怕做决定和冒風險，而最了不起的獲利便是這樣得到的——當然，好的管理會完全了解這一點。好的管理也了解，所有的錯誤都是進步。
好的父母會了解同樣的事。
永遠記住這點：所有的錯誤都是進步。(All error is progress.)
當小孩犯童年的「錯誤」時受到獎賞——抱著、擁抱、緊抱、親吻，和以其他方式被正向加强——會不怕甚至喜愛犯「錯」。他們長大也會因此成為「愛生活」的人。
他們不會害怕自己的陰影（也不會怕別人的陰影）。他們會有自信地成長，並以他們的能力跨出舒適邊界，面對人生中的挑戰，將那些挑戰變成體驗他們自己宏偉潛力的機會。
摘自《與神對話 青春版》第8章
All children (and all people) actually are rewarded for every "mistake" they make. Their reward is what they learn from what has occurred.
Neale: Oh, great . Some "reward."
Wait a minute. This is no small thing. What you learn from your life can bring you incredible benefit.
Scientists understand this, which is why research scientists actually relish their "mistakes." An experiment "gone bad" is actually an experiment that leads to good.
This is also true in every walk of life. The rewards of every action and decision are enormous, and you begin to really appreciate them when you add them up, when you consider them in this light.
There is not a person on the Earth who has not concluded at some point that what they once considered a "huge mistake" turned out to be, actually, a big blessing.
You, too, will one day see that, ultimately, there is no such thing as a mistake.
Neale: Well, that's an interesting point of view.
It's a "point of view" that can change your life.
Consider this: "Mistake" is just another word for "failure," and failure does not exist. It is one of those misunderstandings I was talking about earlier. It is an illusion.
It is impossible to fail at anything, and saying that something was a "mistake" is just announcing a point of view.
If you see a "mistake" as a step along the path by which you get to where you wish to go, then you will not see it as a "mistake" at all. You will see it as progress.
It will, therefore, be perfect, and you will be grateful for it. You might even choose to celebrate it!
In the best of companies, owners and man-agers celebrate the "mistakes" of their employees, sometimes even throwing a party, or giving the employee a bonus.
Now we know what we don't want to do, and how we don't want to do it," they say. "This is a huge step toward guaranteeing our success!"
Firms with such a policy produce employees who innovate, who stretch, who are not afraid to make decisions and to take risks, and that is how the greatest gains are made—which, of course, good management understands perfectly. Good management also understands that all error is progress.
Good parents understand the same thing.
All error is progress.
Children who are rewarded—held, hugged, squeezed, kissed, and otherwise positively reinforced— when they make childhood "mistakes" will love to make "mistakes."
They will also grow into adults who love to live life.
They will not be afraid of their own shadow (nor of anyone else's). They will grow in confidence and in their ability to step out on the edge and confront the challenges of life, turning those challenges into opportunities to experience their own magnificence.