This little blunder is what I like to call Found in Translation. Sometimes misinterpretations allow us to move forward. Take the case of Alexander Graham Bell. Before he invented the telephone, he studied transmitting tones electronically. I’ll let PBS.org explain:
Alexander Graham Bell became intrigued by the writings of German physicist Hermann Von Helmholtz. Von Helmholtz had produced a thesis, On the Sensations of Tone, declaring that vowel sounds could be produced by a combination of electrical tuning forks and resonators. Bell’s inability to read German did not deter him from hungrily consuming this information. It did however lead to his making what he would later describe as a “very valuable blunder.”
Bell had somehow interpreted Von Helmholtz’s findings as stating that vowel sounds could be transmitted over a wire. He would later say of this misunderstanding, “It gave me confidence. If I had been able to read German, I might never have begun my experiments in electricity.”
So sometimes mistakes can build some false confidence that allows you to take a step you may not have taken. Some false confidence is good, some can get you in trouble. Being able to balance it is the key to success.
