We are in the age of exploration and discovery. Along the way, there are times where we do something that we should not have, or we do something we think was the right decision, then realize it was the wrong one. Sometimes, we just flat out do something as a learning experience. Regardless, we all make mistakes. 

Some mistakes you can recover from, and some you cannot. Some you don’t regret because they make you the person you are today. Some changed the life you loved for the worst. In this age of discovery, it is our responsibility to make mistakes, but handle them in a mature manner. 

What are mature mistakes? My operational definition for a mature mistake is what your parents have been telling you since you were two years old: take responsibility for your actions and understand that the implications of your actions. A mistake is something you had control over. Now, take control over the response to that mistake.      

What defines a mistake, in general? Something that could be potentially damaging to you or your world. Examples range from drinking too much at a party and being hung-over for class, or drinking while under the influence and getting caught by law enforcement, cheating on a paper or test, cheating on a significant other, or talking trash about people. 

You made the mistake, whatever it might have been. Now, being the mature college students that we are, we need to take responsibility. Let's say you drink too much. Accept the fact that you missed that 8 a.m. exam, got written up or arrested. Maybe you cheated on an assignment or exam and are sent to student court for judgment. Perhaps, you cheat on your significant other, they decide to work things out with you, or let you go completely. Whatever the consequence is, be mature about your reaction.  

Once you get the response/consequence from the mistake, what are you going to do to change the problem? What are you going to do to fix your life to become a better person? The main thing you need to remember is that this reflection process is only for you, and no one else. There is really no personal growth involved if you do it for someone else or because it will make others happy. Once the mistake is made, and you handled the matter maturely, reflect on your life and do some personal discovery. Handle this maturely -- once you play Russian roulette with yourself, you can’t turn back.      

Make mistakes, learn from the consequences, and grow and prosper into a better human being.