Please Don’t Tell Everyone About My Terrible Mistake!

It would sure be nice if life offered mulligans or do-overs when we make a mistake.  I have made some painful mistakes in the past and they cost me dearly.  Unfortunately, most of the time, we do not get a second chance.  Once an error has been made, then all we can do is try to mitigate the damages.  Of course, different mistakes come with a different set of consequences.  The best thing we can do is to try to avoid as many blunders as possible. 

The best way to avoid making painful mistakes

We all make mistakes.  It is just a fact of life.  We are human therefore we miscalculate, misconceive, misjudge, misinterpret, misstate, misstep, misprint, and misapply.  The only way that I know to reduce the number of errors we make is to be a continual learner.

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
~Oscar Wilde

We learn life’s lessons in one of two primary ways.  We either learn from:

• Experience (which is sometimes painful!)
• The mistakes of others (which is less painful)

Of course, we want to avoid mistakes and their nasty consequences.  This implies that we want to try to learn from others more often than not.

I hope you can learn from my mistakes

Making a mistake is a humbling experience.  It isn’t always easy to admit.  One of the hardest things for many of us to do is to see that we were wrong.  The longer it takes, the more painful the consequences.

Of course, it seems that we are all quick to point out other people’s mistakes.  I don’t know if it is because we just want to set the record straight or if it makes us feel superior.  Either way, it is hard to get away with a blunder of any size.  I know  because I have bungled a number of different situations in my life.

Here are some mistakes that I have made in several major areas of my life.  I sincerely hope they help you to avoid repeating the same.

1.  Relationships – I have escalated too many fights

I frequently make the mistake of escalating conflict between myself and those I care about.  I’m not proud of it, but I know I have done it on too many occasions.  Often, instead of diffusing a conflict, I tend to have the opposite effect.  I make things worse by letting my temper get the better of me.  I fail to give the other person room to bow out of the situation gracefully.  Over the years, I have slowly come to realize that it is better to try to resolve the situation quickly and peacefully.

2.  Finances – If I could make the payment I could afford it

I used to believe that if I had the money to pay the monthly payment, then I could afford to buy whatever I wanted.  As a result, I wasted a great deal of money paying interest, and buying high and selling low.  I put my money into things that did not hold their value like cars, boats, RVs, and electronic gadgets.  I ran up debt on credit cards and a home equity loan.  These mistakes literally cost me thousands of dollars.  If I would have been smarter with my money early in my life, then who knows?  Maybe I would be a millionaire by now.

3.  Business – An entrepreneur’s journey to nowhere

I started a business in 1998.  I had big dreams.  Unfortunately, I didn’t really have the experience to be successful.  I made a lot of mistakes running my business.  As a result, the business survived, but didn’t really thrive.  I don’t regret going into business for myself, but I do wish I could have avoided some of the blunders.  Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20, but things aren’t always as clear when you are in the middle of the fray.

4.  Adventure – I should have traveled more when I was young

I went into the Air Force right out of college.  I joined the military to see the world, but I was a bit of a chicken.  I could have went to Europe for my first assignment, but instead I chose to stay stateside.  I thought I could go abroad on my second assignment.  Of course, by then the United States had significantly drawn down the troops in Europe, I was married, and the option was no longer there.  I wish I had just gone for it when I had the chance.  Opportunities are often fleeting.  Do not let them pass you by.

5.  Blogging – There are some articles I wish I could take back

I have published some articles that later I wished I wouldn’t have.  At the very least, I would like the chance to rewrite them with a different tone or from a new perspective.  Sometimes it isn’t until an article is out there that you get feedback from readers and realize your mistakes.  Unfortunately, in blogging, there aren’t really any mulligans.  Once an article is out there, it takes on a life of its own.  Oh well, we live and learn!

6.  Life – I fail to forgive myself

Overall, I have made the mistake of being too tough on myself sometimes.  After all, life is a learning experience.  I should have forgiven myself and laughed things off more frequently instead of mentally beating myself up.  I guess this is really the whole point, isn’t it?  We are all going to make mistakes.  Why can’t we just accept this about ourselves? 

The list of mistakes isn’t exhaustive, but you get the point

No, this isn’t an exhaustive list of my mistakes.  There isn’t enough time for me to document them all.  However, these are some of my bigger ones.  I hope they help you to pause for a moment, forgive yourself, learn from me, and avoid some consequences.  Regardless, let’s go on living life to fullest and doing our best with what we know until experience teaches us better.

What mistakes have you made that others can learn from?

Photo by doobybrain

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