-Have confidence, not shame in your blunders
Mistakes come in all shapes and sizes. The best errors are the ones we learn from.
Keeping quiet and getting passed over for a promotion can teach you to speak up. Speaking up and alienating others can guide you to listen more. Missing your big chance because you gave up too soon can encourage you to persist. Burying your head in the sand for too long can help you pay more attention.
When we fail to see or admit our mistakes, we fail to gain from them.
Why we don’t like to be wrong.
Admitting our mistakes to ourselves or others threatens our self-esteem and self-worth. Who doesn’t want to be seen as competent and in control? It’s stressful to have our choices or our ideas proven wrong.
In our success-driven, image-conscious world full of social media perfection, it’s easy to fall into the trap of acting like you’ve got it all together. But the more you pretend, the less effort you will make to grow professionally and personally.
What’s right about being wrong.
Mistakes are humbling. Humility makes you teachable. And being teachable is how you succeed.
A growth mindset believes that anything can be learned with effort and dedication. When you constantly ask, “How can I do better?” you open the door to new ideas and opportunities. If you insist, “I’m right,” you slam that same door shut.
Our mistakes don’t detract from our value unless we believe they do. One of the essential skills in life for authentic success and happiness is learning how to embrace rather than hide from our mistakes.
Coming clean feels good.
It can be hard to admit we are wrong, but being accountable empowers you to gain valuable knowledge for the future. When seen in the right light, mistakes strengthen, not weaken you. They expand your freedom, not inhibit it.
A Japanese proverb says, “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” Forget what lies behind you and focus on the brighter future ahead because of, not despite, any mishaps. Your mistakes have a hidden power to create better outcomes and a better “you” than ever imagined.
Let your mistakes refine you, not define you.
Til next week,
Jo-Aynne Von Born, Leadership and Executive Coach
Work Your Authentic Genius.
- How do I view other people’s mistakes?
- How can I approach my mistakes more positively?
- How can I separate my value as a person from my mistakes?
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