Some people will say all mistakes are bad and some people will say if they are mistakes, they aren’t bad. The truth, I believe, comes somewhere in the middle.
If you make a mistake that causes someone pain that, in anyone’s book is a bad mistake. If, on the other hand, you make a mistake like the ones mentioned in the free lesson about making mistakes, I don’t think anyone would call that a bad mistake.
Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes
Are you a perfectionist? You need to make sure everything is just right before you are willing to say it’s done. If you have to, you’ll do everything yourself to ensure it’s done right. If this describes you, it may be time to lighten up and let yourself make more mistakes.
When you put less pressure on yourself to not make mistakes, you may find that you are making less of them.
(Read that again “When you put less pressure on yourself to not make mistakes, you may find that you are making less of them.”)
That kind of pressure to be perfect is taxing on your mentality. You have enough pressure without putting an unnecessary amount on yourself.
The byproduct of you letting yourself make mistakes and not having everything be perfect is that you will not have to work as many hours.
Just because you are allowing a bit of imperfection into the process, doesn’t mean you have to settle for inferior work. You still need to require yourself to do a great job. Don’t be too hard on yourself about making mistakes. Acknowledge them and then figure out the best way to move forward.
The fast-paced business environment actually has no room for perfectionists. Work needs to get done and trying to make sure everything is perfect will give the advantage to your competitors. They will get more products released quicker and will leave you wondering how that happened. It’s a race that perfectionism will cause your company to lose. Mistakes also can lead to opportunities that you would not have seen without making those mistakes.
Own Up to Your Mistakes
One of the worst things people can do when making mistakes is to blame others for them. Or, they try to cover them up. If you have done this in the past, ask yourself this. Did you think the people you blamed would not notice? Be prepared for them to defend themselves and you will have shattered their trust completely.
Sometimes, in a state of panic, people blame others. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. If that happens, make sure you immediately come forward and state you were wrong and that you are the one responsible for the mistake. This is not ideal, as you should not have blamed them in the first place. But it can happen. Just be willing to make it right.
The better approach is to take ownership of your mistakes right from the start. Try to refrain from saying anything when the mistake happens. Think about what happened and then you can come forward and claim responsibility.
People will respect you more when you take responsibility and will be less likely to judge you too harshly. Everyone makes mistakes, and as long as you are forthcoming, the damage should be minimal. Be prepared to take actions that can help right the situation.
Some Will Understand, Some Won’t
Some people will use it to try to put you down for your mistakes. That’s just the way they are. As long as you have owned up to them, they will end up looking like the petty person. Try not to be too combative with people like this. The situation usually goes away over time.
There are also people who won’t forgive you for mistakes that you make, no matter how much you do to try to make it right. The burden is really upon them, at that point. There isn’t much you can do to change this situation. Sometimes, the results can be unpleasant, such as having to look for another job. It may not be the best situation, but it’s not the end of the world, either.
It’s Ultimately About Integrity
Owning up to your mistakes is about having integrity. In the long run, no one can truly fault you for that, and it shows people you are the bigger person. It also leads others to do the same as you have set the example for them.
You will feel better knowing that you took responsibility for your actions. When you blame others, you will find it does not sit well with you. You will be thinking about it constantly and may even have nightmares. It’s simply not worth any of that.
If you don’t own up to your mistakes, you will not gain anything from it and you will certainly not be able to help others avoid making the same mistake. Realizing my mistakes and having a desire to help others be successful without making those mistakes is what birthed this site. Had I not admitted I made some mistakes, I would not be here trying to help you today.
You can read next week’s post about making products from mistakes here. You can also visit my PLR EXPLAINED BLOG to find quality information about using PLR to build your online business and my SENIOR INCOME BLOG to find quality information about helping Seniors build their Internet business.