"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."
Mary Pickford
Gregg had a wonderful week. He finished a major project that had been on his desk for months, resolved a customer issue that could have meant the loss of his largest customer and found a way to expedite another customer's order. However, Gregg did not feel the euphoria of his week because he forgot an important client meeting that he was supposed to attend. He left a client waiting for him and failed to show up to the meeting. It has been three days since he missed the appointment and Gregg continues to beat himself up for missing it. He apologized profusely to his customer and yet Gregg cannot seem to move past this mistake.
Gregg, like many of us, suffers from a "negative bias". While he appreciates all the good things he has accomplished in the week, he spends a large amount of his time focusing on the one mistake he made that seems to negate all the good from his week.
What can Gregg do to learn quickly from this mistake and move on so it doesn't affect the productivity for his upcoming week? Here are three strategies that help change this negative bias:
- Ask yourself what you can learn from this experience. In other words, where did your system fail you? In Gregg's example did he forget to put his appointment in Outlook which sends out hourly reminders? Did he overload your week? What can he learn from this setback that will help him avoid it next time?
- Put the mistake in perspective. In looking at the bigger picture, this mistake is miniscule compared to the greater accomplishments of the week. While the mistake seems large now, it will quickly lose its importance as you continue to do good work.
- Forgive yourself. We seem to be good at showing compassion to others when they make mistakes but we often lack compassion for ourselves. Remind yourself that you are human and give yourself the same encouraging words you would give a co-worker if they were to make the same mistake.
Question for You:
Do you find yourself focusing on the one or two things that went wrong in your week versus the multitude of good things you accomplished? Do you want to learn from your mistakes and move forward more quickly?
Action for You:
Making mistakes is a part of our human condition. Some believe that making mistakes is a good, but tough way to learn and grow. By being humble and asking what you can learn from the mistake, putting it in perspective and showing yourself the same compassion you would show others, you will be on your way to learning and leaving behind the mistake that no longer serves you.
"Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience."
Denis Waitley
