Acknowledging Our Mistakes Is important, But How We choose to Bounce Back Is what makes all the difference.
Human beings are creatures that have been blessed with highly intelligent brains and free will. We have the opportunity to make choices and decisions for the greater good in life. It’s important to always remember that the decisions and choices we make can sometimes affect not just yourself, but those around you.
We make so many choices and decisions each day that you can easily run into a mistake, or two, or three. Making mistakes is one thing, but learning how to deal with them, is a whole separate animal. People can be extremely hard on themselves when it comes to mistakes. Not just themselves, but others too. Which let’s face it, having people call you out on your mistakes doesn’t make the process any easier.
On the flip-side, having the ability, or the opportunity, to identify your mistakes is a really great step in the right direction. This can mean receiving criticism or feedback on something that you did, or in many cases, things that you did not do.
Maybe you went through a mistake recently and you have been beating yourself up about it. It could have been something you did at work, something you said, or something you failed to do. The point is that mistakes come in different shapes and sizes.
The important thing is how we go about our mistakes, and how well we improve after making them.
Here Are 7 Ways To Bounce Back From Making A Mistake:
1. Be Kind To Yourself
Depending on how severe the mistake is, your mind will easily flip on you. It can go from being your best friend, to your worst enemy throughout your mistake timeline. I say timeline, because there is a legitimate timeline that takes place. You have your beginning and your end. It is up to you, how you choose to navigate through your mistakes, and a big factor is your self-talk.
Throughout the timeline of making your mistake, you must be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to process and then begin thinking of the solution to your mistake(s) and work backwards from there. The worst thing you can possibly do is sulk in your mistakes for too long. Acknowledge it, and then move forward on your mistake timeline.
As you choose to move forward, make sure that you are keeping a close eye on your internal dialogue. If your inner dialogue is working against you rather than for you, you need to take a minute alone, regroup, and then come back at it again.
2. Apologize If Necessary
For some, apologizing is like pulling teeth—they rather avoid it at all costs. Pride, is what I like to call it. Some may say it is the ego. Whatever you choose to call it, an apology can go a very long way.
Often times, you would be surprised that a simple sincere, genuine apology is all it takes to solve your mistake.
Apologies can be subjective, only you can determine whether or not your mistake deserves an apology. If you know that it does require an apology, or should include an apology, just apologize. Be the bigger person within yourself. Don’t settle for what your weak voice tells you, go to your strong voice and clear the air.
The longer you put off an apology, the longer your mistake is carried. Think about that, why would you want to carry a mistake with you longer than you have to.
It is best to make the mistake(s), apologize and move forward.
3. Step Away And Take A Breather
I have found that stepping away from a situation is a great strategy to get your mind right. The brain reaches “fight or flight” rather quickly. Hormones are secreted, and your mind can go spastic if you don’t know how to control it within these situations.
If you struggle during difficult moments, do not worry, we all do. Some people worse than others, but all you need to do is separate yourself for a minute or two. If your mistake involves other people, simply let them know you are going to take a minute to yourself and you will be right back.
How often do you do this?
How often do you separate yourself from a difficult situation at hand?
Not enough, probably. We have been shown to deal with things in the second they take place, but you don’t need to do that.
Put the scene on pause and go get some time to regroup, then come back and handle your business.
In the end, nobody can tell you no, for wanting to walk away from a situation for a minute or two. If they have a problem with that—that is their problem, not yours.
Walk away and get a grip of yourself and the situation, no matter who tells you otherwise.
4. Take A Moment To Sit In The Emotions And Feel Them
Once you step away, allow yourself to sit in the emotions you are experiencing. Do not try to avoid or push your feelings to the side. Allow for these uncomfortable emotions to flow right through you.
Accept your emotions and pay attention to them.
It is vital to pay attention to our mind and body during moments of distress. This is where we learn about ourselves and who we truly are. We all have a voice that pops up during our most difficult moments in life. This is when we must pay extra close attention, because this is where we can gather the most data on improving ourselves.
We all know how to handle the good times in life. We are professionals at that. It’s the difficult, uncomfortable, discouraging moments, where we have no clue who we really are.
It is during these moments of difficulty and errors, where we can create the most growth.
5. Search For The Lessons And Discard The Rest
I can’t stress this one enough.
In moments of mistakes and setbacks, the only thing you should be doing is thinking about what lessons you can extract.
Learn to find the cues that can lead you towards becoming a better human during difficult times.
We are not perfect, and we never will be. Accept the fact that we are charging through life trying to do the very best we can. Along that journey, you are going to hit some beautiful peaks, but also some pretty dark valleys. It is just part of life.
Don’t spend unnecessary time searching for answers that do nothing but hold you back.
6. Journal About Your Mistakes And Then Journal About Your Process To Correct Them
I preach a lot about journaling, and for good reason. Journaling is a game changer!
Journaling is a process that can be very special and valuable to your life, if you adopt it and work at it. It is a skill that needs to be cultivated and the only way to do that is to practice every day.
When it comes to forks in the road, on your path through life, things can become very challenging mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Making mistakes comes in many different forms. Depending on which ones you end up making, there could be life changing consequences.
It is during these trying times, where flipping open a journal and writing about your current situation and circumstances that can really shape your outcome.
Take time to analyze your situation on paper and jot down some ideas on how you can go about creating lasting change. Once you have solutions and choices written down for your eyes to look at and process, then the mind can really go to work towards helping you, versus working against you.
7. Learn To Forgive And Move Forward
Making mistakes throughout your life is not something that we like to deal with. On the contrary, we try to avoid them as much as possible. Which is why learning to forgive and move forward with your life, is vital to your personal development.
We are always going to make mistakes along the way. We are human, and we are forever learning and growing.
The biggest take away is not the mistake itself, it is how you handle yourself throughout and how you move forward thereafter.
When making mistakes, always remember these principles to help guide you through bouncing back from your obstacles. But most of all, learn to be kind to yourself and to others, while mastering how to forgive and move forward.
