Why Knowing is Half the Battle: How to feel good about messing up

Growing up, I was a big fan of G.I. Joe, the iconic cartoon about a group of soldiers who fought to save the world from the evil Cobra Commander. And while most people remember the show for its campy 80s characters and catchy theme song, there was one thing that always stuck with me: “Knowing is half the battle.”

This little phrase became one of the most valuable insights of my life. I’m constantly repeating it to myself and others to this day.

The makers of G.I. Joe were so committed to this message that they produced a series of cartoon public service announcements (PSAs) starring the characters from the show.

Each PSA would feature a child making a bone-headed mistake, and would end with the kid saying “Now I know!” and a G.I. Joe character following up with “And knowing is half the battle!” There were 35 of these commercials, covering everything from drugs, bullying, and the dangers of playing with matches, to stranger danger, and the importance of wearing a helmet when you ride your bike.

G.I. Joe was right. Knowing really is half the battle. Because we’re all making bone-headed blunders, all the time. Maybe you made a mistake at work, or you’re acting from a limiting belief, or you realize you’ve been a jerk to someone you care about.

Whatever the case may be, acknowledging the problem and what lead you to it, is the all-important first step to fixing it. “Knowing is half the battle” is ultimately about self-awareness. It’s about understanding who we are, what we want, and what obstacles we need to overcome to achieve our goals and grow. It’s about being aware of our own limitations and working to overcome them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to experience, and grow. If life was all smooth sailing we wouldn’t have a wide set of experiences, and we certainly wouldn’t grow. But in order to learn we must be conscious of the lesson. All too often we may make a mistake of some sort and fail to learn because we’re more concerned with denying our wrongdoing and protecting our ego, than recognizing what we have to learn.

It’s not easy to feel good about our shortcomings. When you first realize you’re in the wrong, you’re more likely to feel like the kid in the PSA who gets caught doing something stupid and says “Now I know!” with a look of shame on their face. But this is not the time to feel bad, it’s time for a fist pump. It’s time to author your internal story so that you react from a place of love (for the growth), instead of fear (of what it says about you to have been wrong).

When we realize that we’re in the wrong, we may feel ashamed, embarrassed, or even angry with ourselves. But it’s important to remember that how we treat this new self-awareness in our mind is critical for our future development and change.

We can either see this as a glass half full, or a glass half empty. The glass half empty view is to fuel these negative emotions, which can make us feel stuck and demotivated. The glass half full view is to see that we’re all flawed people on a hero’s journey to make progress — to “win battles” against the internal and external challenges of our lives. Knowing is half the battle because if we don’t even know who or what the enemy is, what chance do we have of winning?

The key is to take this self-awareness and use it as an accelerant for growth. Think of it like a treasure map: you’ve just figured out where you are, and you’ve uncovered a clue that will help you navigate the rough terrain ahead. And while it might not be the most pleasant realization to have, it’s better to know what you’re up against than to keep wandering around clueless.

So the next time you find yourself having made a mistake, don’t deny it, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Remember that you’re already half way, or maybe even all the way, to a profound learning, just by acknowledging that you need to change or learn something. And if you’d also like G.I. Joe in your ear, urging you along, watch these classic PSAs, and you won’t forget that: “Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!”