Whoops I Did It Again! To Err Is Human, So Let's Learn From All Those Errors!

No one's perfect. We all do stupid stuff and make dumb mistakes. Ever forget to pay a bill? That time you ran out of gas? Forgot someone's name? Mortifying! Sometimes, there are mistakes that are out of our control or that we couldn't have reasonably predicted. And even if we could, we couldn't have prevented them anyway. Like when the power goes out in the entire neighborhood. Or a vendor has a problem that affects your business. What do you mean all the hydrangea I ordered died because the grower's delivery truck broke down? That really happened one time, or some version of it. Mistakes are part of life and they happen all the time. Whether or not you learn from your mistakes, however, can be the difference between an aha moment and saying "Oh sh**!" and leaving it at that.

Don't Just Leave It At That!

Obviously, the best way to deal with a mistake is to learn something from it so that the experience isn't a total loss. Maybe you can figure out how to avoid that same mistake in the future. Learn something helpful as a result of the unexpected turn of events. Or find yourself approaching or responding to the same situation in a very different way. Doing any or all of these can lead to better outcomes. If that seems easier said than done, here are some ways I've found that can help you get there.

Wrong To Right: Learn To Learn From Your Mistakes!

Own up to your mistakes and admit you're wrong.

Seriously, if you can't admit to being wrong, well you've got some work to do in the personal development department! Being able to acknowledge your missteps helps you be less afraid of failure. Make enough mistakes and soon you'll see that the world won't end when you goof. You might be embarrassed, or find yourself in hot water with a client/boss/friend and have some serious 'splainin' to do, but the world will not actually end. More importantly, admitting that you messed up puts you in the right mindset to learn from your mistakes.

Analyze the hell out of your mistake!

After you admit that you did something wrong, it's time to get to work. This is what will lead you to your aha moment. Identify what you did wrong. Sometimes it's pretty obvious; those are usually the dumb mistakes. Other mistakes may take more digging to get to. Identify what you could have done differently, if anything. If this was one of those times that the problem was truly out of your control, try to figure out a better response or a contingency plan for next time. Power outage, meet generator.

Be Specific & Have A Plan!

Woulda, coulda, shoulda!

Make a list of what you could have/should have done differently? Are you guilty of taking a shortcut, possibly to save time or money? Sometimes that works, but not always. Did you leave a key person out of the loop? Maybe they had info that you could have benefitted from. Did you forget an important piece of information or skip a step in the process you were following? Figure out how to not do that again. This kind of analysis will keep you on your game next time.

If "A", Then "B".

Speaking of next time, devote some time to thinking about how you'll proceed or respond when the same situation arises again, which it will. You'll find you can avoid repeating mistakes if you anticipate them.

I've written and spoken about making mistakes many times before. For a little TBT fun (just pretend it's Thursday whatever day you're reading this), here's a blog from 2014 with a video clip when I was a guest on Fox Business. I talk about owning up to our failures and turning them into successes. (Glad to see the 2014 me is aging well!)

Would you like to avoid making mistakes in how you price your products or services? If you're looking for something to help with pricing, keep more money in your pocket and take your business to the next level, we've got it right here! And it's FREE!

Be Oh So Quotable This Week!

I always say running a business means the work never ends! Ain't that the truth? I bet your to-do list is a mile long! Make sure that the items at the top of your list are the things that relate to being more profitable. Everyone is so proud of being so "busy"...But Are You Making Any Money? Don't be too busy to focus!

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Learn From Your Mistakes – Tip #1:

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"I stopped doing the things in business that had made me so successful in the first place, a devastating mistake business owners often make." – Tom Corson-Knowles

Learn From Your Mistakes – Tip #2:

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"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." – Henry Ford

Learn From Your Mistakes – Tip #3:

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"It's always helpful to learn from your mistakes because then your mistakes seem worthwhile." – Garry Marshall

Learn From Your Mistakes – Tip #4:

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"To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all." – Peter McWilliams

Learn From Your Mistakes – Tip #5:

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"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." – Scott Adams

Let's talk! I'd love to hear if you're able to learn from your mistakes!

Are you good at analyzing your mistakes after the fact? Have you learned how to learn from your mistakes? I would LOVE to hear from you! Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week!

Oh by the way, are you searching for easy steps to charge more without losing clients? Learn where you're leaving money on the table and discover simple costs to cut PLUS get productivity tips! And the best part is it's all FREE! Get our Simple Tricks right here!

And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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