I’m Only Human
Making mistakes is human.
Give me a break… give me a break.
And instead of breaking off a piece of that Kit Kat bar, maybe we break off a piece of compassion for ourselves when we make mistakes.
Perhaps we realize that sometimes the only way to learn something more deeply… is to trip, stumble, and fall.
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A few years back, Sarah and I took the girls to an all-weekend heavy metal concert out in the desert.
I couldn’t believe our oldest was a little headbanger. I loved it.
She knew AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest… and of course Metallica.
Metallica’s lead guitar player is Kirk Hammett, one of heavy metal’s greatest guitarists ever.
The concert that night was incredible.
I had never seen Metallica live before, and there’s something special about watching a band that’s been together that long. Their timing, tempos, and musical intricacies were phenomenal.
They had 70,000 people in the palm of their hands.
The energy was electric.
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Now Metallica has a few songs that really stretch technical ability and musical precision. During one of those moments, the stage cleared and Kirk stood alone.
Just him and the guitar.
He began this gentle, evocative melody.
The whole crowd was in rapture.
Here was this guitar god playing a song he had probably played hundreds — maybe thousands — of times live.
And yet…
He’s human.
Fallible.
Just like you.
Just like me.
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Less than a minute into the piece… he made a mistake.
You could see him throw his head back in frustration.
He started the passage again…
…and made the same mistake.
And even without a microphone, you could hear his frustrated yell echo out into the night.
Then he tried a third time.
Do you know what happened?
He got through it.
And the crowd ROARED.
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We roared for him putting it all on the line and persevering.
We roared for his skill.
We roared for his authenticity.
But more than anything…
We roared because in that moment we recognized something sacred:
He was human.
Just like us.
Just like you.
Just like me.
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And maybe that’s the lesson.
No matter how diligent we are…
No matter how graceful or skilled we become…
There is always the possibility of mistake.
There is always the chance to miss the note.
And yes…
There is always the opportunity to improve.
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Which brings us to an important question:
How much compassion do we actually give ourselves when we make mistakes?
When we forget the note…
Forget the appointment…
Forget the thing we “should” have known or done easily…
We can be incredibly hard on ourselves.
And even when we do persevere — which honestly, most of the time we do — we rarely stop to roar for ourselves.
To celebrate our humanity.
Our fallibility.
Our perseverance.
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I know I don’t always do it.
Sometimes I become my own harshest critic.
Not my champion…
…but my foe.
And what happens inside us often spills outward.
Sometimes it’s easier for me to recognize what’s happening externally, because I often keep guards posted at the gates of my inner sanctum.
What I mean by that is this:
When I start recognizing myself judging someone, condemning them, or losing patience with them… I pause.
And in that space of pause, I begin to notice how my inner dialogue has been speaking to me.
And lo and behold, won’t you know it… there I go again: judging myself, condemning myself, losing patience with myself.
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It’s subtle.
And it takes courage to look inward.
But listen…
We are all human.
And we will never become completely inured from these thoughts and behaviors, but we can become aware of them more quickly.
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How much grace do we give the people we love when they make mistakes?
How much compassion?
How much roar of approval when they struggle, learn, grow, and still find a way through?
We are all only human.
And I truly believe it is through our mistakes that we are invited to dig deeper, get curious, reflect more honestly, and become more compassionate.
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Not only toward ourselves…
…but toward each other.
Toward our children.
Our spouses.
Our parents.
Our friends.
To look at another human being and say:
“You are human…
…and I champion you.”
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At any rate, I learned a lot about Metallica that night.
Growing up, I was never a huge fan.
I always respected how talented they were.
But it wasn’t until I saw how human they were that I truly appreciated them.
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That person across from you today…
That person you speak with…
That person you fall asleep beside tonight…
They are flesh and blood.
Born to make mistakes.
So let us roar with love, compassion, and acceptance for the indomitable spirit of humankind.
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Mistakes…
I’ve made a few…
And yet…
I’m only human.
Funny how songs sometimes teach us the deepest truths.
(Who got both of the song references mentioned here - NOT the Metallica one - I still don't know the name of that song they played that night)
ROAR with Love,
Danny
The Emotional Driver
“Emotion Is the Note. You Are the Song.”
