The other day, I fell on my face. Not literally, but figuratively. . . I bombed.
Without going into specifics, let’s just say there was a breakdown of communication and it was embarrassing. I tried my best under the circumstances but felt quite foolish. That’s my take at least.
But, it’s over. And, I learned from it.
I now know how I will handle things differently. Rather than dwelling on my embarrassment, I am working on the next time with the fixes.
My sons both play sports and whenever they make a mistake—e.g., letting their opponents score against them—we call out for them to “shake it off”.
These “mistakes” are then acknowledged (usually after the games) with recommendations on how not to repeat them. The thing about sports is that it is fast-paced; players need to move on, quickly, when they’ve made a mistake. The game is still going. They can either “shake it off” or let a mistake influence their playing for the remainder of that game.
Usually, the mistakes are only a blip of what has transpired during the game. They’ve moved on to making plays and turning things around.
Mistakes happen. That is how we learn. That is, if we CHOOSE to learn rather than dwell on our failure. It really is that simple.
It is how we REACT to our mistakes that defines us.
Sure, mistakes can be embarrassing. I KNOW!
But, use them to:
Reevaluate. Regroup. Rethink. Redo.
But do not DWELL. Mistakes should be about improvement and not defeat.
“The greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one.”
– Elbert Hubbard
[EVERY WEEK, A NEW ‘HABIT’ WILL BE POSTED AS PART OF MY BRIGHT LIGHT LIVING HEALTHY HABITS SERIES. THESE ‘HEALTHY HABITS’ ENCOMPASS HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, AND ONE’S PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE—IN ORDER TO LIVE BRIGHT. YOU MAY WISH TO IMPLEMENT THE HABITS EACH WEEK (IF SO, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DOWNLOAD THE HEALTHY HABITS ASSESSMENT FORM). OR, THE WEEK’S HABIT CAN SIMPLY SERVE AS A JOURNAL PROMPT OR SOMETHING TO PONDER. IT’S UP TO YOU. I DO HOPE YOU WILL CHECK IN EACH WEEK.]