“I didn’t…”
Do it.
Say that.
Mean it.
Says my 13-year old after making a mistake (whether big or small).
[Side note: why do kids deny the smallest - and most obvious - things??]
I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. No one likes to make - or admit to - their mistakes.
Just look at our “leaders”. It’s always someone else’s fault. Or because of a circumstance they couldn’t control.
Part of this is because of how unforgiving we humans are.
Which has gotten worse with the rise of social media and the internet. Our tribal instincts have kicked in and we go after mistake-makers that aren’t on our “side” with a vengeance, making it harder to admit to them.
[And yes, I realize there's more to it than that. Too many of our "leaders" seem incapable of ever admitting to their mistakes or being wrong. But that's a topic for another day.]
The simple fact is we all make mistakes.
Which is okay. It can even be a good thing so long as you admit to them. Because you don’t learn without honesty around the mistakes you’ve made.
Every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn, grow and be better.
Maybe you don’t need to hear this message. But I bet you do, Friend.
Glossing over, ignoring and trying to forget mistakes is a very human thing. Something I’m guilty of too.
What I've learned is to be proactive about identifying mistakes, failures and missteps. Here's how I do it:
Conduct a weekly look-back.
Identify the mistakes and lessons learned.
Apologize when called for.
I also try to be more forgiving of others’ mistakes (even for those people I'm not terribly fond of). It helps me to be more honest about my own mistakes.
Try it for yourself. You'll be better off as a result (mentally, socially and monetarily).
XO,
Heather
P.S. When it comes to making mistakes, there are some common selling mistakes I see lawyers and other service professionals make that undermine their sales.
Learn about the 10 most common sales mistakes I see (and how to overcome them) in this week's Life & Law Podcast >>>here.
