Mistakes happen. It does not matter how knowledgeable or skilled you are. You will still make mistakes. Being an expert can’t even save you. Once you’ve master something, that task does not require the same thought or focus to complete as it did in the beginning. When you’re mind wanders, you are apt to stumble.
Here’s a good example. In 1964, All-Pro football player Jim Marshall picked up a fumble and ran down the field for what he thought was a touchdown. Unfortunately, he ran the wrong way and scored a two-point safety for the opposing team. Marshall was one of the best football players of all time, but he still messed up.
The biggest mistake you can make is to not accept the fact that you can make mistakes (say that 10 times real fast). Don’t excuse or deny them. Accept and own that you can (and when you do, that you did) make a mistake. If you can do that, you be light years ahead other people. You will be able to treat mistakes as the learning experiences they should be as well as proactively plan in order to reduce them.
And when you do make one, make sure you learn something from it. Debrief the mistake – what when wrong and how could it have been prevented are the basic questions to ask.
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee
“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde
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