Mistakes - I've Made A Few...

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” ― Albert Einstein

I have made my fair share of mistakes; some would argue that I have made more than my fair share of mistakes; but for the sake of this post, let's just say I have made my fair share! I would guess that all of you, my very fine and appreciated readers, have made your fair share of mistakes as well. Some of you will recover nicely from them, others, maybe not so nicely.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the emotion of a mistake. So much so that it could potentially cause more damage (emotional or otherwise) or cause the mistake to grow even bigger. Our egos are bruised, we feel like failures or we feel our intelligence is lacking ("I should've known better!") and we begin to beat ourselves up over the mistake.

Mistakes are a fact of life. We are all human; not all of the choices we make are good ones; we also make mistakes that are uncontrollable; anyone in an auto accident can attest to that. But it is how we recover from the mistake and move on that can play a critical role with your internal happiness. Trust me when I say this, moving on is a critical component to not only recovering from a mistake, but learning from that mistake as well.

Here are some steps that I have learned throughout the years (and throughout the mistakes) that may help you (now or in the future):

1. Own The Mistake. It is so easy these days to not only take the credit for good things that happen, but also to pass the blame for a mistake. Owning the mistake is an important step to not only corrective action, but reconciling emotionally that it happened.
2. Remember, You Are A Good Person. This is critical to do. Beating yourself up never helps and very often may cause you to spiral down. Along with this, make sure you apologize to anyone who may have been impacted by your mistake. Not only does this reconcile yourself with the person; it helps to solidify the thought that you are indeed a good person.
3. Think About It - But Don't Dwell. Reflecting on why the mistake happened is an important part of the learning process. But don't get caught up with dwelling about it either. Once your thought process turns to the "woe is me" thinking, let it go! It is far more productive to analyze the mistake in a cold, calculating method rather than turning it over and over with thoughts of "why me?". Journaling can often help in this regard. You don't have to be a writer to journal, the journal is for your purposes only!
4. One Day At A Time. Like just about anything, time heals all wounds. Some may take longer than others, but eventually, they heal. Take it one day at a time, take your corrective action, use what you have learned and apply it daily. Make a mistake at work and lose your job? Well, chances are you are not going to pick up something the next day, so focus on the positives of your daily life. One day at a time.

Always remember this: everyone makes mistakes. Even some of the most successful people in the world have been deemed failures because of their mistakes at some point or the other. The key is to learn from your mistakes; realize that the pain or inconvenience is temporary and move on, wiser and having grown some.