I never make the same mistake twice, I make it five or six times just to be sure!
Anonymous
You may not consider yourself a true-blooded perfectionist.
You may consider yourself a bit more like me, a closet perfectionist. We preach that making mistakes is a way to learn and grow, and yet we’re still pretty hard on ourselves when the mistakes actually happen.
Some people live their lives working very hard to avoid mistakes of any kind. From my perspective this sounds pretty exhausting. What I teach in my programs and the philosophy I apply to my life is, rather than avoid making mistakes, focus on recovering well. Developing this skill can bring discomfort. Eventually this will bring a greater sense of freedom!
You are not measured by your mistakes; you are measured by your recovery from your mistakes!
Pat Kirkland
Here are some tips on what to do if you do make a mistake
Approach
- Mildly acknowledge the error
- Keep a cheerful or upbeat attitude
- Consider using good-natured humour; “Seems I’ve had one too many coffees this morning!”
Delivery
- Keep eye contact
- Use a confident, strong voice
- Keep your energy upbeat
- Make clear, firm gestures
Attitude
- Act like it’s no big deal
- Keep smiling
- Recognise that mistakes are a learning curve!
- Don’t let apologising be your default reaction when making a mistake, though an apology may be appropriate in one of the following circumstances; if you have upset, inconvenienced or injured someone!
Happy Partnering!
Amy
