My Monday Mantra on Tuesday
Full disclosure - I had a different post planned for my Monday Mantra this week, but I mismanaged my day yesterday and ran out of time to write the article. I thought about skipping this week, but realized it was a great opportunity to rally from my mistake and celebrate another great mantra:
“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.” - Nikki Giovanni
I am not great at making mistakes. That’s not to say that I don’t fix them - I usually fix them and apologize and then apologize again a few more times over the coming months. My problem is that I agonize over mistakes even when they are long since past and no one else is thinking about them. I dismiss the fact that I resolved the issue, and fixate on the error I made.
So if you’re anything like me, try focusing on what counts - your response to the mistake. Celebrate your response, and even celebrate your mistake. I know it’s a bit cliche, but mistakes are great teaching tools. Plus, they give you a chance to prove you can shine in difficult situations.
And if you are the type of person who avoids thinking about mistakes and hopes the consequences go away, you are probably doing long-term damage to your business. Unresolved mistakes can cause soured customer relationships, lost vendors, increased fines, and disgruntled employees. It’s time to own your mistakes and find solutions. Then make a plan, so it’s unlikely to happen again.
Every mistake needs two things:
My Mistake - Didn’t plan time well enough to complete #MondayMantra post for Monday.
The response: Made lemonade out of lemons with a Tuesday post about responding well to mistakes.
The lesson learned: I won’t be writing my #MondayMantra blog posts on Monday anymore. I need more of a time cushion to ensure it gets done.
I know my mistake is a small one that was easy to overcome, but the logic holds true for all mistakes. Own your mistakes; then respond to them and learn from them. And when you’re ready, look back and celebrate your mistake as a valuable growth experience.
