I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life. Some happened onstage, some happened in the recording studio, and others happened in my kitchen, where the audience was much smaller but occasionally a lot harder to please.
As a mom and a musician, I’ve had more opportunities to fail than I could possibly count. I’ve sung the wrong note, struggled with a stubborn lyric, questioned a creative decision, and experienced the disappointment of working hard toward something that didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped.
And motherhood? Well, let’s just say that raising children provides a lifetime supply of opportunities to discover that you don’t have all the answers.
But here’s something I’ve learned along the way: Failure has been one of my greatest teachers. Some of the best things in my life have come from experiences that initially felt like disappointments.
Sometimes You Miss a Note
When you’re performing live, anything can happen. You might forget a lyric, miss a cue, or discover that the sound system has decided to develop a personality of its own.
Those moments can feel enormous when you’re standing under bright lights with an audience watching. But most of the time, the show goes on. You recover, trust your band, and find your way back into the song.
I’ve learned that audiences appreciate authenticity. They understand that performers are human, and sometimes an unexpected moment becomes one of the most memorable parts of a concert.
Life works much the same way. We can spend so much energy worrying about making mistakes that we forget to enjoy what we’re doing.
Motherhood Comes With Plenty of Wrong Turns
I’ve made parenting decisions I would handle differently today. I’ve worried too much about things that turned out fine and probably worried too little about others. I’ve had days when my patience ran out before my responsibilities did.
I think every mom knows that feeling.
We want to get everything right because we love our children so much. But our kids don’t need a mother who never makes mistakes. They need someone who shows them how to respond when things go wrong.
Sometimes that means apologizing. Sometimes it means changing our approach. Other times, it means admitting that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing and figuring it out together.
There’s a wonderful kind of freedom in accepting that parenting is a lifelong learning experience.
Failure Can Lead Somewhere Unexpected
Some of my most valuable lessons in music have come from ideas that didn’t work.
A song might need another rewrite. A performance might reveal something I need to improve. An opportunity might disappear after I’ve spent weeks imagining where it could lead.
Disappointment is never fun, especially when you’ve invested your heart in something.
But those experiences can sharpen our instincts, strengthen our determination, and sometimes point us toward opportunities we wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
I’ve learned to ask myself a different question when something goes wrong: What can I take from this experience?
The answer isn’t always obvious right away. Sometimes you need a little distance, a little patience, and perhaps a good laugh before you recognize the lesson.
The Rewards of Showing Up Again
One of the greatest rewards of perseverance is discovering what you’re capable of overcoming.
Every time we try again after a setback, we build confidence. Every difficult experience teaches us something about our strengths, our priorities, and the people who support us.
There’s also something deeply satisfying about finally accomplishing something that once seemed impossible. That moment carries extra meaning because we remember the struggle that came before it.
I want my children to understand that lesson. I want them to pursue their dreams without believing every effort must end in victory. I want them to recognize that courage sometimes looks like trying again after everyone else has gone home.
Learning to Love the Imperfect Journey
I’ve spent years making music, raising a family, and discovering that life rarely follows the arrangement we originally imagined.
There have been wrong notes, missed opportunities, frustrating days, and plenty of moments I wish I could do over. But there have also been beautiful surprises, unexpected victories, and lessons I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Failure has taught me patience. It’s helped me develop humility, appreciate progress, and become more compassionate toward others who are struggling.
Most importantly, it’s reminded me that one disappointing moment never gets to define an entire life.
So if you’ve made a mistake today, welcome to the club. You’re in excellent company. Give yourself some grace. Learn what you can. Laugh when possible. Then gather your courage and try again.
After all, even the most beautiful songs sometimes need a few rewrites before they’re ready to be heard.
