Tag Archives: Mistakes

Missed a Step

10 Nov

Mistakes are a part of life. Despite our best efforts, we all make them from time to time. Perfection is the goal, but not the achievement, and so, sometimes we miss a step. When they are huge blunders that affect others, we feel badly, and the clean-up process can take some time. But even when we make small mistakes they can slow down our progress and we may feel frustrated. Mistakes happen and are a natural consequence of trying to find our way. What’s important isn’t the fact that we make them but how we respond to them. If we let them overcome us and undermine our confidence, they can have far reaching consequences. But if we see them for what they are, and learn as much as possible from them, they can, in the end, be blessings in disguise. After all, this life is a learning process and we are going to stumble from time to time.

Since we’re all human, and subject to error, nobody is exempt from occasionally missing the mark. It’s important to remember that when others falter and impact us. Belittling or criticizing because of a mistake will never fix the problem. Most of us don’t want to screw up, and generally try to do our best. But even with the best laid plans, sometimes things go wrong. Perhaps it’s because we didn’t get all the information we needed at the beginning. Or maybe we misjudged a situation and thought things were different than they really were. And there is always the possibility that someone else influences the decision and causes us to fail. There are a thousand ways to bungle every choice we make and none of us is immune.

Learning to be patient when we stumble is sometimes difficult, especially if we’re trying to impress or improve ourselves. It’s hard to face a setback when we’re trying hard to move forward. But the course of our lives will never be exactly even and predictable. We need patience to help us through the bumps. Sometimes it’s easier to forgive others than it is to forgive ourselves, but we deserve the same consideration we extend. We can do everything in our power to make sure our decisions are flawless and sometimes we’ll succeed. But sometimes we are going to falter, and when that happens it’s important to remember all the times we did things well. Nobody is right or wrong all the time. We get some of each – all the time.

Today if you’re feeling bad because you made a mistake, and you’ve lost some confidence, don’t forget all the times you got it right. You make great decisions, and most of the time you succeed. If you’ve had a stumble, correct your course and go forward with courage. You haven’t lost everything. You really can do anything. You know what needs to be done. Stand up straight and start again.

Tags: , ,

Reverse Engines

14 Jun

There comes a time in all of our lives when we realize we’ve really screwed up. We’ve made a big mistake. A huge blunder. We missed the mark, and we’ve made a mess. When we discover this, our first thought may be to wish for a time machine, and go back before everything happened. But, sadly, that isn’t possible. We’re here, and there is no way to go back. We have to face the music. It happens. And if it happens in such a way that we’ve affected others, it can be really uncomfortable. It’s hard to face a bad situation we’ve created, and even harder to know how to go about fixing one. It’s not really the end of the world – but for a while, it can feel like it is.

When this happens, we have choices. Instead of facing it, we could ignore the situation. Pretend like it didn’t happen. Look the other way, and wait to see if it’ll just fade as time passes. This is the worst decision we could make. Ignoring a situation never makes it go away. If we don’t do that, we could blame someone else, or make excuses, or make up a story that takes the blame away from us. Of course, that won’t work because dodging what we’ve done won’t change anything. Blaming others, or making excuses will just make things worse.

The only way to get through a situation like this is to be completely honest. We made a mistake. We can give our reasons for why we did what we did, but the fact is, we made a mistake. If criticisms and judgments come from others, we need to hear them. If relationships are damaged, we need to do what we can to repair them. If we’ve lost material goods, we need to try to restore them. We must, at every point, choose to be honest, accept our responsibility for what’s happened, and do whatever we can to turn things around. It’s never easy to clean up after a big mistake. It can be embarrassing, humiliating, and painful. But if we’re the one who made the mess, we own it, and we’re responsible for fixing it.

Today if you’re under the gun for a mistake you’ve made, decide to be as honest as possible. Face what has happened, and be open to whatever it takes to fix the situation. You may be uncomfortable, but you can handle that. If you are honest and forthcoming about your involvement, and willing to do what is needed to correct things, others will respond more positively. This won’t last forever. You will learn new things as you go through this difficult passage, and at the end of it, if you’ve chosen well, you’ll be happy with how you handled it. Everyone takes a left turn from time to time. It’s okay. Now you know where that road goes. You won’t make the same mistake again.

Tags: , ,

Value in Disaster

10 May

In 1914 Thomas Edison’s factory in West Orange, New Jersey, was destroyed by fire. Everything was gone. The building was made mostly of concrete, and nobody thought it could burn so it was insured for a small fraction of the loss. The day after the fire, Mr. Edison went to survey the damage. As he stood there seeing the complete destruction, he said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” What an amazing man! What an incredible attitude! Someone else may have only seen the loss, but he saw the potential of starting again. What an great example.

We all suffer disasters of varying degrees in our lives. Some are enormous, and hard to face, and others are less destructive. Some wreck our belongings, as well as, our spirits. We may face devastating situations that take years to overcome, or we may have problems that seem disastrous at first but turn out to be workable. Whatever we face, our attitude decides how we will go forward. If we believe the situation is insurmountable, too horrible to face, and we hide from it, it may consume our lives. However, if we, like Mr. Edison, look at the other side of the coin, that it’s horrible now, but it’s also the beginning of something new, it will be easier for us to navigate it.

When we suffer through tragedies and disasters, our lives are changed permanently. We can never go back to how we were before the event happened. What was before is gone. We have to face a new reality. It may not be easy to face, but whether we face it or not, it’s still where we are. So, the best we can do is accept it, decide what we need to do to go forward, and direct our lives to accommodate the change. It’s easy to say these things, it’s easy to think about them, what isn’t easy, is to do them. But we have sufficient courage inside us, and we can handle the changes in our lives, no matter what they are.

This life has its pack of trials. People die, storms ravage, fires burn, floods invade, wars happen, and we all have our share of sorrow, and grief. In those horrible moments, we may feel that we can’t go on. We can’t face our lives now, they are too difficult. But a day goes by, and despite our intense unhappiness, we actually live through it. Then another day goes by. Then a month passes, and as it does, we being to heal. We can, with patience, and time face whatever comes to us. Some days perhaps the best we can do is just breathe in and out, and that is sufficient.

If we can try to think like Mr. Edison did when he faced utter destruction, and see a new beginning instead of just an ending, we will face our trials with more confidence, and peace. Remember that each end is the start of something new. Turn the page. It’s a new day.

Tags: , ,

Newer Entries →