My parents have always told me when I made a blunder, “let it go, the only person that cares about your mistakes is you.” My interpretation of these words was, “a mistake is not worth mulling over because everyone else is not going to waste their energy by criticizing you when they have their own problems to worry over.” The depth of that advice started to reach me a few years ago. Similar to how Nick Carraway’s father’s advice led him to meeting and befriending Gatsby, the advice I was given by my parents led me to make decisions and take risks that I wouldn’t have done before.
For example, I used to dread public speaking, even though I was extroverted. My fear of being picked apart for my mistakes overshadowed my tendency to be social. When