THE “I’LL MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN” SYNDROME
THE “I’LL MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN” SYNDROME
If everyone adopted this attitude, we’d all be in a sorry state.
Most successful inventions result from years of experiments AND mistakes. Thankfully, most inventors don’t subscribe to this philosophy.
As a child when you fell off your bike, what did your parents say? “Get back on!” If you want to be successful, then adopt a healthy attitude toward mistakes. It’s important to make mistakes if you’re to grow and learn. I love what the old time actress, Tallulah Bankhead once said: “If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.” Mistakes are a great way of seeing what doesn’t work and they offer you greater insights on how to achieve what you do want. I have no problem making mistakes, as I know they are my greatest teachers. When I make a mistake, it’s a chance for me to stop and listen and ask myself: “What am I supposed to be learning here and how can I make the situation better?” I suggest you do the same. Mistakes are great wake-up calls, in that they provide you with opportunities to learn about your weaknesses, what needs to be changed, and any areas that may need improvement. I tend to see mistakes more as blessings in disguise.
I remember this time when I’d made the mistake of not listening to my intuition. I was about to drive 200 miles to give a demonstration. The organizers were expecting a large audience. Several days before, I kept getting a nagging feeling to call them and make sure that everything was okay, and to check that they had all the sound equipment sorted out. Instead, my rational mind kicked in, and said: “No John, they’re professional; they’ve done this hundreds of times before – let it go.” Of course, this was one of those occasions, when I should’ve really listened to my intuition. I arrived to find out that they had a broken microphone system, a child’s stool (only 12 inches high) for me to perch on, and no air conditioning on this New England muggy night when the temperature was still 89 degrees. The spotlight was so powerful it could have lit up New York City!
I should of have honored and trusted my feelings and followed through with the decision to call them. By doing so, I could have saved a lot of aggravation for myself, and the poor staff who rushed around trying to fix everything. I vowed to myself that I would not make that mistake again.
Here are a few steps to breaking free of the “I’ll make the same mistake” syndrome.
You’re human! Give yourself permission to make mistakes from time to time.
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Learn from the mistake, so you don’t make the same one again. Turn down the volume of your ego-self’s mind chatter. Learn to accept being wrong without beating yourself up.
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Take and accept the feedback rather than getting angry. Feedback is a wonderful way of learning.
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Listen to your intuition – if it’s guiding you the right way, then have faith and trust in yourself.
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Observe and learn from other people’s mistakes so you can incorporate them into your life.
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Learn to laugh at some of your own mistakes; it’s better than beating yourself up.
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Journal your mistakes, what you learned from them, and what steps you subsequently took.
That way, you can always go back and see them in a positive light.
Live a Soul-Filled Life!
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