We all make mistakes, and ever since I have become a mother, my fuzzy brain has been more prone to making mistakes than ever. Forgetting a thing or two is routine, but some mistakes end up being heavier on my pocket too.
Recently, I drove my car with the DPF filter light on for a few days, knowing that the limiter would appear and then I wouldn't be able to do a regen to fix it on my own. And it happened; it did cost me £200 and complementary hassle.
When we think of mistakes, we associate them with negative connotations. Considering the immediate outcomes of the mistake as failure or some damage, we get shortsighted and ignore the positive outcomes that lie in learning and the invaluable lessons.
It's not just my perspective Henry Ford also believed so when he said:
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." — Henry Ford
So the essence lies not in dwelling too much on the mistake but in the positive takeaways it has to offer.
Let's start from the beginning.
When we were kids, we used to make countless mistakes, from small to big. I remember eating my sister's favorite left-over meal once, and the beast unleashed upon me, while the rest is history.
Even getting over all of the mistakes is rather quicker as a kid. But as adults, we can't move past them. Our mistakes stake us out. I love steaks, by the way, and once I even made the mistake of leaving my whole uneaten steak meal behind at a restaurant because my emotions got the better of me (long story of university days).
So whatever the reason, just dwelling on the reason and apportioning blame on factors contributing to the mistakes is just a misuse of valuable time and brain power. It should rather be focused on learning and future actions.
To error is human! That is correct, but some people start using it as an excuse for silly mistakes they make. If the same mistake is happening over and over again, then you can't use that excuse. It means a major fix is needed.
Another significant aspect associated with mistakes is how they impact our mental and physical well-being.
We feel bad after it. That is natural too.
But it does not mean that your life should stop there.
You need to heal from that.
How do I heal from it?
You need to identify which emotion or reason is causing you trouble about that mistake.
Is it guilt? embarrassment? sadness? Anger? or what???
- Take a pen and paper and jot down what is disturbing you.
2. Answer the whys linked to that.
3. Then look for amends you can make about the feelings.
4. If no amends are possible, then calmly, without being hard on yourself, remind yourself that it is okay.
Since we don't have a rewind button in life, forget about the mistake, but never the lesson!
Lessons are the takeaways that keep you from making the same mistake again.
So if i just sum it up,
> a Mistake made
> Forget the mistake
> Remember the lesson
> Never make the same mistake again
The quicker you gather up to deal with the mess after the mistake, the better you will recover not only from the mistake but also from causing more damage in the future!
I have accomplished over 12 years of professional career after completing my MBA with a dissertation in Brand Management. I am a published author in renowned ISI-indexed journals.
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