Making Mistakes
Growing up I was told that I wasn't a mistake, I was a pleasant surprise. An unplanned pregnancy but welcomed with lots of joy anyway. I'm pretty happy to be here even if nobody was planning on it. I guess the universe was. :)
Today I learned a lesson in making mistakes.
I used to work for a customs broker and making mistakes were a big deal due to money and time and things you can't really undo, but now I work for people, with people. Making mistakes now means there's human repercussions. Hurting people's feelings or pissing them off is just how it goes when you slip up, and then you have an emotional mess to clean up and apologize for afterwards.
I am thankful for getting a degree in Human Relations. I feel very well equipped to deal with people in sensitive situations. I've learned to take my time, choose my words wisely, and approach others with a calm manner when shit goes down. That doesn't mean I won't swear like a trucker and write an angry rant in my journal on my own time, but generally speaking I think I handle myself well and have a lot of respect for the people around me.
The degree and especially the job in customs taught me that communication is essential to getting work done and doing well. So I don't really call them mistakes anymore, I call them "learning experiences." And that's what they are. If you don't learn from them, then you ain't going anywhere. When I'm called on something, I hear the person out, offer my end of things and at times literally ask, "how can I fix this?"
It's all about attitude for some people, and if they see you're willing to work on it then you're good to go. If you're the one responding to the mistake-maker, throw in a few, "in the futures" and "I woulds" and you're sailing. Even though we really don't want to sometimes, treating others with decency and respect will go a long way. Besides, I believe in karma, and I know that I would want others to accept my mistakes with as much respect and grace as I (try to) accept my own.
And hot-dawg, have I made mistakes. As time goes by though, mistakes lose their value, and fade out of memory. If you're not going to remember it in a year, then it really isn't a big deal. We just have a hard time making peace with ourselves. That's the hardest part.
Today when I got home after a long and fairly crappy day, I had a good cry, pulled myself out of it, reapplied my makeup and took my dog for a good walk to the dogpark. The walk did as much good for me as it did for her, because on the way home I felt like Mary Tyler Moore and was smiling at strangers and giggling about random shit coming to my head.
I wonder what it would be like to view my mistakes as pleasant surprises? Nahhh, that just sounds arrogant.
Peace and love,
Katie
Today I learned a lesson in making mistakes.
I used to work for a customs broker and making mistakes were a big deal due to money and time and things you can't really undo, but now I work for people, with people. Making mistakes now means there's human repercussions. Hurting people's feelings or pissing them off is just how it goes when you slip up, and then you have an emotional mess to clean up and apologize for afterwards.
I am thankful for getting a degree in Human Relations. I feel very well equipped to deal with people in sensitive situations. I've learned to take my time, choose my words wisely, and approach others with a calm manner when shit goes down. That doesn't mean I won't swear like a trucker and write an angry rant in my journal on my own time, but generally speaking I think I handle myself well and have a lot of respect for the people around me.
The degree and especially the job in customs taught me that communication is essential to getting work done and doing well. So I don't really call them mistakes anymore, I call them "learning experiences." And that's what they are. If you don't learn from them, then you ain't going anywhere. When I'm called on something, I hear the person out, offer my end of things and at times literally ask, "how can I fix this?"
It's all about attitude for some people, and if they see you're willing to work on it then you're good to go. If you're the one responding to the mistake-maker, throw in a few, "in the futures" and "I woulds" and you're sailing. Even though we really don't want to sometimes, treating others with decency and respect will go a long way. Besides, I believe in karma, and I know that I would want others to accept my mistakes with as much respect and grace as I (try to) accept my own.
And hot-dawg, have I made mistakes. As time goes by though, mistakes lose their value, and fade out of memory. If you're not going to remember it in a year, then it really isn't a big deal. We just have a hard time making peace with ourselves. That's the hardest part.
Today when I got home after a long and fairly crappy day, I had a good cry, pulled myself out of it, reapplied my makeup and took my dog for a good walk to the dogpark. The walk did as much good for me as it did for her, because on the way home I felt like Mary Tyler Moore and was smiling at strangers and giggling about random shit coming to my head.
I wonder what it would be like to view my mistakes as pleasant surprises? Nahhh, that just sounds arrogant.
Peace and love,
Katie
I think we all do this. We make ourselves crazy thinking the "mistakes" we've made are going to haunt us forever and that everyone we know and don't know is sitting around talking about how stupid we made ourselves look. The truth is, no one really pays as much attention to us as US and we should remember to focus that energy positively, instead of negatively! Love your blog!
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