Mistaking Your Mistakes

by Jeanine Izzo

Dang, I shouldn’t have said that…
Oops, that was an idiotic approach to take…
Shoot, I knew I should have picked the other option…

Maybe, climbing up a near vertical incline with a sheer drop-off without safety gear was a bad idea…

We’ve all made what we commonly refer to as mistakes.  The hurtful words, the missteps, the should haves that cause much angst.  Oh, the agony of knowing in hindsight what we wish we knew up front.  The power of regret.  The pain of lost opportunity.

Scratch all that negativity!

Okay, scratching the negativity around our actions that didn’t go well is easier said than done, yet at least we can ease up a bit.  See, by holding onto the idea of mistakes too tightly we use up valuable time and energy thinking about the past.  Of course, we are going to say and do things we’d like to take back.  We’re going to need to apologize for hurting others.  We’re even going to suffer consequences of our actions, occasionally.

Switching up our perspective around past, or possible, undesirable outcomes can lessen the fall out by:

1.  Allowing us to learn from occurrences as an input for the future

2.  Sparking thought prior to reacting too quickly to situations

3.  Freeing us up to take more chances because we are not overcome with fear

First, understand that everything that has happened to you up to this point has contributed to who and where you are right now.  This culmination of previous occurrences unconsciously drives your thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions.  By taking a learning approach, you can consciously learn from these experiences in an effort to create more or less of them in the future.  It can help make sense, in a way, for the challenging times by linking them to a more favorable purpose.

Second, by referencing your catalog of learnings, you can think ahead to potential consequences before you speak or act, potentially adjusting to avoid a painful situation.  Or, at least making a mindful decision to continue with an awareness of the consequences.  This thoughtful pause, even if it is slight, helps you own your decisions and can minimize the dreadful remorse by believing that you made the best decision at the time based on the information available.

Third, by re-purposing and releasing the weight of past actions/inaction’s, you can make the most of your future options.  You will be more open to the learning and adjusting process and more inclined to go after more of what you want.  Sure, you might experience less than favorable outcomes, yet they won’t have the same hold on you as when you think of them as mistakes.  To help with the letting go process, remember that hindsight provides more information than you had at the time of your initial decision.

Forward Moving Tips:

• Recognize the behaviors that lead to gloom and doom.  What do you find yourself regretting or apologizing for time and again?  Note: Refraining from words or actions is considered a behavior.
• Identify the root cause and the result.  What is the trigger that leads to unsavory thoughts or actions?
• Visualize what you want to be different.  What is the positive outcome you’d like to experience?
• Determine a revised approach.  What will you do differently to set yourself up for success?
• Look for triggers and activate your revised approach when one is pulled.
• Pay attention to results and keep learning and adjusting along the way.

By changing up your mistake thinking into precursors to solutions, you can utilize the breath of your experiences to create enhanced success.

For assistance with moving forward with more focus, confidence and success along your journey,  Contact Viage Partners today.

© Viage Partners 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Viage Partners with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.