I’ve Started Making Mistakes
I have started making mistakes in business…
…and my initial reaction was to feel terrible about it. So terrible that I began to doubt myself and my ability to do what I am doing.
I know that sounds a little tragic, but that was the story of my life until recently.
Having defaulted to that reaction for so many years, I was exceptionally good at using it and letting it bring me down. I would let it take over and convince me that I failed simply because I was not good enough.
Not only that, the fear of feeling that way was often strong enough to discourage me from trying again.
So I often didn’t.
And that, my friends, is how I became afraid of failing and took refuge in my little comfort zone.
I’m sure you can deduce why that is not a good thing. Perhaps you can relate because you feel or have felt the same way. Perhaps you feel guilty, ashamed, or regretful about it because you also know that haven’t given it your best.
Now you see why it is tragic?
That’s not to say I haven’t had a good life. I really can’t complain. I have been blessed with an amazing family who loves and supports me unconditionally. I have always been fortunate to have my basic necessities covered and have had my share of happy moments and accomplishments.
By all means, I’ve had a pretty decent life so far.
But, have I lived up to my full potential? Have I grown as much as I could? Am I capable of more?
I recently asked myself these questions and my answers were very clear. They led me to the realization that I had stopped growing, which sounded like the biggest of tragedies.
That’s when the powerful quote “the moment you stop growing is the moment you start dying” hit me like a bucket of cold water.
The tragic realization was, of course, met by guilt and regret, other automatic reactions I kept up my sleeve. But I quickly learned that these obstrusive emotions only added to the tragedy. So after allowing myself to feel them, I put them aside and got to work.
In order to address the problem at the root, I had to be objective and understand what had stunted my personal growth.
So I took an honest look at myself and found that one of the main causes was that I had not made enough mistakes out of fear.
Ironically, that turned out to be one of my biggest mistakes. But along with it came one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned and total game-changer for me.
Ever since I learned that our cognitive reaction to external circumstances is directly influenced by our perspective, and that our perspective is entirely our choice, I’ve been able to change the way I see everything that life throws at me and the way I react to it. Both, the pleasant and the not-so-pleasant.
It is a simple but powerful way of reprogramming your mind which allows you to not only celebrate the “good”, but to also grow and learn from the “bad”. Because, let’s face it, we all struggle through “bad” times so why not make the most of it?
Take my old perspective on making mistakes for example. My reaction was negative because my perspective was also negative. But just like I was able to learn it, I found that I could also to unlearn it, and replace it with one that works in my favor.
As soon as I did that, my mistakes became a catalyst for my growth.
I now see mistakes as opportunities to grow and learn, which encourages me to make more of them. Not deliberately of course, but now I welcome them knowing that they are a necessary part of the growing process.
So now that I have shared my insights on failing and making mistakes, I’d like to share a few of the mistakes I have made along with the lessons they have taught me.
- Being an obsessive perfectionist, I used to focus on making everything perfect which really slowed me down. My projects would often be delayed and I would miss deadlines. What I learned is that “good and done is better than perfect and never done” and that I can always adjust along the way.
- Not sticking to my morning routine. Starting off the day on a productive note really sets the tone for the rest of my day. Not following my morning routine resulted in me having to make more decisions about how my day would progress as opposed to making decisions on how to grow my business. I will write a future post on the importance of having a morning routine and sticking to it.
- I messed up an entire week’s worth of meals by not finishing it in one run. This taught me that the process of meal prepping cannot be discontinued and must be completed from start to finish (not counting short breaks). I also learned that even if you love doing something, you’re not always gonna hit just home runs. You will mess up.
Whether you are starting a business, creating a family, or raising your children, remember that you will inevitably make mistakes. Don’t be afraid of making them but take each one as a lesson and learn as much as you can from them. They are necessary for your growth.
