5 Tips for Shaking Off a Mistake

Everybody makes mistakes from time to time, and they’re just as vital to the learning process as our successes are. Legendary Basketball Coach John Wooden once said, “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” The obvious point he was trying to convey is that it’s what you do after the mistake or failure that makes all the difference.Dale Carnegie Training proposes the following 5 ways to shake off your mistakes and move forward to success:

1. Brush it off
Accept the fact that no one is perfect. Once in awhile everyone—including you—will make a mistake. Don’t spend time worrying about it. Instead, cooperate with the inevitable, learn from the mistake, and focus on what you are doing and move forward.

2. Don’t fuss about trifles
In other words, forget the small stuff. Mistakes come in all sizes and if you let go of the smaller mistakes, you’ll be more focused and catch the larger ones before they happen.

3. Don’t worry about the past
Some mistakes are more difficult to let go of than others. Maybe it caused you embarrassment or ridicule. Whatever the case, shake off your mistakes and move on. Forget about what happened, no matter how silly or embarrassing. By letting go of the past it will help you focus on your current task.

4. Profit from your mistakes
If you’ve made a mistake, figure out why you made the mistake, make a note and move on. Making even a mental note will help remind you to be more careful next time a similar situation comes up.

5. Rest before you get tired
A large percentage of mistakes could be avoided if we simply got enough rest for ourselves. Make sure that you get enough sleep, and if midday confusion sets in, take a few minutes to meditate or partake in another relaxing activity until your batteries are recharged.

Elbert Hubbard was once quoted as saying, “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”

Accept the fact that mistakes will happen and resolve yourself to learn from them. And to keep mistakes to a minimum and improve your performance in Sales, Leadership, Interpersonal Skills, Communications, Presentations or Customer Service, contact Dale Carnegie Training for a resource that perfectly matches your learning style preference.