Heart thumping so loudly, I was certain she could hear it over the phone. As I fumbled my way through explaining what had happened, I knew this client was lost forever.

It was the year after my cancer battle.

I had been back in the office full time for only a few months, and I wanted to prove myself.

Which - for me - translated into not getting backstop support when I was to be out of town visiting my Mom. While a big deal closed.

I reasoned that could work from her home, and had a mid-level associate to handle the closing from Dallas.

But here’s the thing…

My mom lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains - on an actual mountain, without great internet or landline services.

So, of course, we lost internet access and landline service the day before closing.

Just as we learned new information that changed our entire approach to the deal.

Not only did this require lots of document revisions but it necessitated several emergency calls that I wasn’t available for and my associate had no clue how to handle.

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

It was a near-comedy of mishaps.

Which led my client to the conclusion that I should have known or figured out what was going on well before closing (even though that was impossible).

It didn’t feel fair. Yet wasn’t it?

I’ve been through my share of rough closings. Things often don’t go as planned. New information can come to light that changes everything.

Not having a backup partner ready and available to handle those types of issues was on me.

I could have made excuses. But then I would have learned nothing.

I HAD made a mistake. And my client's reaction was natural given how everything went down.

Mistakes happen.

We all make them. I’ve (obviously) made my fair share.

And so will you, Friend. Because (like me) you’re human.

When you make a mistake, don't ignore or excuse. Face it head-on. Accept and admit to it.

And then identify what led to the mistake and what you choose to learn from it. Not only is it all you can do but it’s how to not be hounded by your mistakes forever.

XO,

Heather

P.S. We’re continuing the theme of mistake-making on the podcast today. Listen >>>here to find out the top 10 business growth mistakes most lawyers make and how to address them.