November 27, 2011

Cure Your Mistakes with a Crumple

Monday Morning Match is a quick post - maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea - intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.




“It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand.”
- Madeleine L'Engle



Have you made any mistakes this year?

Sure you have. We all have. But did it get you in any legal trouble? Did the mistake you made cause any harm to a client or force you to neglect your fiduciary duties? Hopefully not because you take this job very seriously, don't you?

What have you learned from those mistakes? 

Did they help you learn a better way to do something? Maybe they showed you how "not" to do something? Mistakes are sometimes the best way for us to learn so as long as you don't keep making the same mistakes over and over again, you'll probably be okay.

What were the mistakes?

Here's an idea. Take out a blank sheet of paper.

Seriously, grab a blank sheet of paper and think back to the beginning of the year. Write down all of the mistakes you have made. You're not going to be sharing this with anyone so be honest. Big or small, silly or serous, write down what the mistake was in as much detail as possible.  Look through your calendar or day planner, think back to each client and transaction or try to remember all of the other activities you were a part of in 2011.

If you made a mistake, own it and write it down. If you made hundreds of mistakes, write 'em down. Scribble down the one or two memorable mistakes or fill the entire page, front and back, if you must.

Now that you've done that, review the list and make sure you know what you should have or could have done differently. Learn something that, if you repeat this exercise next year at this time, you won't make it again.

Look at the list one more time, take a deep breath...and then crumple it up.

"Did he say 'crumple it up'?"

Yep, that's right. Tear it into pieces, shred it, burn it or simply just crumple it up.

Then toss it into the trash can and forget it because today is new day. It's a blank slate

Forget your mistakes and move on to a new sheet...a clean sheet of paper.