“HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?!”
Have you ever asked yourself that question before?
Many persons have asked themselves this question when they reflect on a bad decision, ponder a misdeed or think about a recent mistake.
The truth is, we all make mistakes and take stupid decisions – I’ve made a few of my own – in our daily life as well as in our business life.
Which of us has not regretted unwholesome association? Who has not regretted buying that stupid gizmo on the spur of the moment only to realize it has no value whatsoever? Or who has not ‘invested’ in an unprofitable business, product or project?
What’s my point?
WE ALL ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING MISTAKES, GET OVER THE GUILT!
In fact a person who does not make mistakes has never tried anything new. So mistakes as unpalatable as they may be are actually an essential part of your development and growth.
This does not mean though that you should have a carefree attitude and think it is normal to make the same mistakes over and over again. IT ISN’T!
So what should you do if you’ve taken a wrong decision?
1. Mistakes happen. Feel guilty, feel regret – this is natural- but never be overwhelmed by regret and guilt. That is UNNATURAL. Think about it: you goofed, so does beating yourself up and remaining inconsolable undo the misdeed?
2. Apologize. Did you harm others by your ill-advised decisions? Are others going to suffer some material gain or bear some loss because of your actions? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, by all means APOLOGIZE and then strive to right the wrong! A word of caution though. Do not lose your dignity while apologizing. Do not apologize over and over or repeatedly say sorry for the same mistakes as this irritates others and often comes across as an insincere effort to get back in favour.
3. Man up! This is my way of saying: Do not try to rationalize or give pretty excuses for the mistakes you’ve made. “Oh I wouldn’t have run your bike into the wall if that pretty girl over there hadn’t been crossing the road”.
Like my dad always says: “Excuses only sound good in the ears of those making them.”
Again when I say “man up”, I mean don’t go shifting blame. We all know you made the mistake, so what’s the use telling us who else contributed to your indiscretion?
4. Learn from your mistakes. Remember: if you do not learn from your mistakes then you have lost a golden opportunity to improve your personality or business process or investment decision making process.
So always ask yourself three important questions:
a. WHY did I make this mistake?
b. With the benefit of hindsight, WHAT might I have done differently?
c. HOW do I avoid making the same mistake again?
5. Do not hold back!
DO NOT let your mistakes stop you from taking on responsibilities or taking properly considered risks. Remember the popular cliché: ‘no pain no gain.’ When you fall you must stand up and get back in the game. No one awards trophies to losers. Do not become afraid to try again because you are afraid of failing.
Ok there you go.
Maybe you weren’t so stupid after all.
You probably just discovered one more road to avoid on your way to success!
-FEYI
