‘We Also Have to Forgive Ourselves’- Venus Williams Explains Why Moving on Is an Important Lesson in Life

We have all heard the saying that mistakes are a part of life. It is a human tendency to make mistakes. But what defines successful persons is the manner in which they learn from them and ensure to never repeat those mistakes. Legendary players like Serena and Venus Williams are strong examples of such successful people.

Recently, the elder Williams sister shared her experiences on how to deal with mistakes.

Venus Williams reveals some secrets to overcoming mistakes

In her latest episode of ‘Coach Venus,’ the seven-time Grand Slam champion opened up on how to tackle mistakes in life. She said, “Mistakes are a part of life. For me personally, when I’m on the court, what I try to tell myself when I walk out is that I’m a professional and I hate making mistakes. The thought of making mistakes really bothers me. It makes me feel less free.”

Further, she added, “So when I walk out on the court, I say that I can still play a good match or a great match and make mistakes. It gives me the freedom to be free, it gives me the freedom to allow myself some grace, while still playing great, still playing good, and some room for errors as well, because you can’t be perfect. There are also a bit times where I beat myself up for mistakes that I’ve made, and that has never gone very well.”

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Venus’ advice to learn from mistakes

Although mistakes are a part and parcel of one’s life, Venus had useful advice for her fans. She said, “Mistakes, you have to leave them in the past and you have to learn from them. The only time it’s not good is when you keep making the same mistakes, then that can be painful and that can definitely turn down your self-esteem and self-belief and the trust in yourself as well.”

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Moreover, she went on to say, “So, when we make those same mistakes, we also have to forgive ourselves too, so that we can move on and go ahead to the next part of our life.”

On the tennis front, Venus has been away from the action for over eight months now. She last featured at the WTA Chicago Women’s Open. Subsequently, she suffered a leg injury, which has kept her out of action since. Although age is not by her side, Venus has wished to make a comeback to tennis.