Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one the second time. – H. W. Shaw
We all make mistakes, but only the extremely self-esteemed among us can admit them. People around you know when you make a mistake, so do not kid yourself that you can constantly cover it up. So do yourself a favor by admitting your mistakes honestly, then getting on, and fixing the problem.
We all learn new, complicated skills gradually. You would never tie a rope to a baby and teach it how to climb the stairs by hauling it up by the rope. Nor would you spank a baby for not learning quickly enough. Babies learn by their mistakes. Falling down teaches the baby how to stand up and walk. We, too, learn by our mistakes.
The most excellent thing about mistakes is that they are gifts of opportunity. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, adjust, grow, and improve. The key is not to see the mistake as the end product. It is actually a beginning.
If you consistently make mistakes and do not learn from it and correct it, you must take action. If there is no learning happening, mistakes have no worth.
When mistakes occur, avoid at all costs the temptation of a cover up. You made the mistake, you are accountable, and it is probably obvious – so admit it. If we do not accept responsibility for our mistake, there can be no learning from the situation. It becomes another setback with its opportunity lost.
Never underestimate a mistake or shrug it off seemingly without care. Show some remorse and admit the damage or upset it has caused. Say sorry and make the necessary corrections.
Make certain that others see mistakes as being received in a spirit of growth, rather than in a spirit of criticism, abuse, or punishment. Learn from each mistake. Aggressively investigate the opportunity every mistake brings with it. Always ask yourself these questions:
- How much cleverer or smarter am I after this experience?
- What will I do differently next time to avoid this mistake?
Check out mistakes-in-waiting. Contemplate on what you can do to anticipate and prevent them.
Affirm each time that it was a learning experience, important to your personal development.
Isn’t it great to be smarter for this experience?
Some people are resilient and willing to keep trying in order to be successful, even when they do not see immediate progress. However, others are not that determined.
Some people collapse at the first sign of trouble, and if you are one of them, you should push and inspire yourself. You must show confidence even if you made a mistake or have done poorly.
Sometimes people think that if a person is currently successful, he has always been that way. They do not realize that he has had his share of flops, failures, and fumbles.
Success is a journey, a process, not a destination. You should realize that successful people have also failed and yet, still managed to succeed that is why it is okay to fail. Never let the fear of striking out get in the way of your success.
Realize that while mistakes may cause pain, they also provide an excellent opportunity for growth. Out of every disaster comes the chance to be reborn.
We have heard that back before the time of sophisticated electronic navigational equipment, the ship’s navigator used to take a reading of the stars at a particular time in the middle of the night, determine how far off course the vessel was, and adjust its course. Nevertheless, no matter how accurately the original course had been laid out or how carefully the helmsman had followed his orders, the ship always got off course and needed adjustments.
People are the same way. No matter how focused they are or how well they plan, people will still get off course.
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