I chose this image as it shows work in progress... making mistakes to learn... and yet each of the bent nails is also a potential work of art... so mistake or not, that is the question!

For many years my son has been buying perfume from the same luxury independent business. After many years of thinking my son was spending too much money on his fragrances from Al Muattar (literally meaning 'The Perfumed' in english) I became a customer of theirs a few months ago. That has nothing to do with the story but its interesting context... 

... because on Saturday I walked past their market stall and stopped to say hello. Its a business that employs a lot of young people and I am pleased to support young entrepreneurs who are keen to make their own way in the world. The staff were showing me their new range and I was about to leave... 

then... 

'Smell this one, its the result of a mistake...and has become one of our best sellers'

I had to take a step back and smell it... and it was gorgeous. 

Al Zaman, meaning 'The Era' was the result of mixing the wrong raw perfumes to create the blend. I can't remember the exact details but lets say they wanted to put White Musk in the blend, they accidentally used another type of musk and it changed the smell. Rather than throw it away they left it on the shelf and forgot about it. It was an expensive mistake! 

I was told a few weeks later another member of staff noticed the bottle and opened it up and was WOW'd by the smell! 

They decided to put it on the market stall and see what would happen.

This 'mistake' is now one of their most popular perfumes. 

What I love about this story is how a 'mistake' can become profitable, it can smell nice, it can create a great backstory! 

This left me wondering about mistakes and how sometimes they might be good. 

See, I think people spend a lot of time pondering on 'mistakes' and how to avoid them... I offer that some of the best lessons I've learned have come from so called 'mistakes.' 

When was the last time you made a mistake? 

Have you allowed yourself to think of it positively, rather than with even an atom of regret? 

In the next week I wonder if you might allow yourself to view any mistakes you make (or are made to you) as opportunities to learn something... or make a profitable mistake! 

Have a great week,

Saiyyidah