How I Made the Same Stupid Mistake Twice in One Month.
Last year, I had two projects go sideways on me. Two out of ~40 projects isn’t too bad, but these two really hit me hard because it was the exact same mistake that bit me both times. Of course looking back, the mistake is clear as day, but in the moment there were so many other factors, influences and distractions that I just ignored the warning signs.
And that was exactly the problem.
I completely ignored the red flags.
Both projects had subtle, yet clear red flags. I noticed them and had the gut instinct to redirect, speak up, or pull away. However, because of certain circumstances in the projects (time, excitement, team, relationships, etc.) I was able to justify ignoring my gut.
And it bit me both times. Hard.
Relationships were damaged. Money was lost. Time was wasted, and most of all — what could have been a lesson for all involved just became a bad situation.
What I took from it all is that I need to slow down, trust my gut, and immediately speak up when something is going wrong. So much pain, tension and money would have been saved if I had just trusted my instincts and spoken up when the subtle issues peeked out rather than just brushing them aside. Each time I said to myself “I saw that coming, I should have known better.” The second time it really hurt when I said that to myself, but, I learned my lesson and I definitely don’t plan on going there.
So, next time you find yourself saying “I saw that coming,” take note. Go back and look at what you could have done differently to change the situation. Even if it was “the other persons fault” (🙄) it is easy to identify what you could have done differently to change the situation.
Next time you feel your gut telling you “This is just like that last time…” you will know what you need to do differently. It might feel weird. It might feel hard. But by taking a different action and stepping out of your norm this time around you will be stretching and growing yourself and no matter what, you will learn something through the process.
