Had a bad day? – When we have a bad day, such as dealing with bad people at work or a bad situation, how do we get ourselves out of it? Or do we let ourselves get caught up in those bad things?
No matter what position you are in, or what role you are playing, we all have bad days. It could be so bad that you don’t feel like eating, you don’t want to talk to anyone, not even your family, friends or significant other. You feel so bad that just breathing feels like something is blocking your nostrils. Or you feel so bad that if you breathe out, tears will definitely come out at the same time. Although such bad days may not happen every day, we cannot deny that if they do, they can easily make us give up or lose hope.
When you’re in a bad situation, having a bad day, what do you do next? Update your social media status about the bad things you’re going through, call someone to vent your feelings, or throw yourself in bed to escape the world for a while.
“Some mistakes are so bad that your heart aches.”
No one wants to make a mistake, no one wants to be criticized, and no one wants to be misunderstood. But when it happens, it becomes a mistake that can bring the heart down beyond repair. Some things cause anxiety in the brain as much as they create a wound deep inside. It is normal for everyone to be afraid of making a mistake. No one wants to risk upsetting their boss or disappointing their colleagues. But these bad things are not the end of the world. You just made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, and it is really no big deal.
“Is it normal to make mistakes at work?”
Mistakes are inevitable and 100% normal. If you are someone who is anxious and afraid of making mistakes in your work, this fact will make you the most uncomfortable. In fact, no one is perfect. And if someone is perfect for you, know that no one can be perfect all the time. No matter how talented and skilled they seem to you, there must be a time when they make mistakes like a toddler. And it’s not just him, you too. You can make mistakes too.
“More than 82% of working-age Americans think they are doing a poor job.”
This fact can be said that almost all working people are feeling bad about their work. Letting go becomes difficult, especially when you are afraid of imperfection. Most mistakes are not a big deal. On the contrary, they provide you with good experiences so that you can learn to develop yourself into a better version. And this is the positive result that you will get from the mistakes that you make.
1. When you make mistakes, you expand your skills : Everything becomes easier when you choose to do the same thing over and over again. You can definitely avoid making mistakes. If you don’t dare to step out and do something that challenges you, that means you won’t be able to learn anything new outside your box. So try to see your mistakes as opportunities to gain new skills and experiences that you might not have had before.
2. You need to be resilient to overcome your mistakes : This is the best thing that will lift you up from your mistakes. Adaptability, problem-solving, and resilience are the top skills that big organizations are looking for and wanting to develop in their employees, according to Forbes. Every mistake is an opportunity to practice overcoming adversity.
3. Owning your mistakes brings you closer to your management : If you are honest about your shortcomings, you can talk to your boss and set goals together to show him how much you care about the job. When you get through it, you can celebrate your wins with your boss and team.
4. Accepting your mistakes helps you accept your own shortcomings : Learning and accepting your weaknesses is an important part of self-discovery. If you can do this without judging yourself, you will have a better self-image.
“The mistakes are not equal.”
Always be mindful of your own mistakes that need to be improved. When you realize that you have made a mistake, you will be able to look for solutions to reduce or eliminate those mistakes altogether. Because being told to accept your own shortcomings does not mean making the same mistakes over and over again and then comforting yourself that it’s okay. For example:
- Coming to work late: Sometimes it may be due to force majeure or circumstances beyond your control, but it doesn’t happen every day, does it? Of course, coming to work late every day is a mistake that will definitely damage your reputation at work, and if you don’t adjust or fix it, it becomes a habit that you forget is one of the shortcomings.
- Go to a meeting unprepared. If you receive an agenda in advance, it is important to know where you are in the meeting and what role you should play. Your boss may have specific questions that he or she wants to ask you. Don’t go to a meeting unprepared and embarrass yourself.
- No feedback. If you make the same mistake over and over again, you are not learning anything. Some problems take time to solve, but you have to show that you are trying your best to solve them.
“What should I do when I make a mistake?”
Since mistakes are inevitable, you should focus on adapting to wake up gracefully, and here are some best practices.
1. Admit it early : Admitting early prevents small mistakes from turning into big ones. Sit down with your boss and key team members and offer a sincere apology. Depending on the severity of the incident, you may choose to talk in person, over the phone, or via email.
2. Take some time to recover : No one will regret this mistake more than you. Eventually, you will know what you are capable of. It is normal to feel discouraged or discouraged. Take time to heal your wounds and practice self-care. You can try this by expressing your true emotions to your loved ones outside of work. Also, check in with yourself often. What are you thinking? Be mindful. Breathe deeply. Exercise.
3. Accept the consequences with your head held high : Depending on the severity of your mistake, your organization may need to take disciplinary action. Admit your mistake gracefully and respectfully. Try to maintain a positive attitude as you make amends for your mistakes and avoid overly emotional responses.
4. Deal with burned bridges : Remember that you are part of a team. Your mistakes can have a negative impact on others. Maybe their jobs depend on you. Your mistake could increase their workload or level of frustration. Try to maintain good relations with everyone to maintain a good working environment. You can use a sincere apology or take them out for lunch or coffee to smooth things over.
5. Apologize : Don’t wait too long before apologizing to the right person. This is the most important thing you can do after a big mistake. Your apology should include the following:
- Honesty. This is a very important thing to have in your apologies. Don’t try to escape the mistake you made, but honestly admit it and you will become a brave person.
- Remorse: Dare to admit your mistake and realize your mistake, and use this awareness to be careful not to make the same mistake again in the future.
- Explanation: You have to understand that an explanation is not an excuse. You know you are wrong and you just want to make others understand or sympathize with your wrongdoings.
- Suggest future changes. When you realize your mistake, you can learn to prevent it from happening again, so explain what you’ve learned and what you’ll do in the future.
- Apologize. Once you accept, realize and learn to prevent it from happening in the future, what you need to do is apologize and ask others to understand and forgive you.
6. Learn from your mistakes : This is the step where you should reflect on yourself, get to the bottom of your mistakes and identify why they happened in the first place, which will help prevent them from happening again in the future. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
- What was your environment like at the time of the error?
- Maybe you have a busy coworker who distracts you at your desk while you are writing a report. They may distract you for a moment. In such a situation, you may need to set clearer boundaries so that you can work more effectively.
- Is there a pre-planned process? And did you follow it?
- You may have done this task a million times before, but for whatever reason, you may have skipped a step this time. You may need to follow the list and check it more carefully.
- Do you have the tools you need to get the job done?
- In some cases, you will need to seek additional support. You may need to get additional training before editing videos for your media company. It may sound difficult to accept, but if your boss is unwilling to help you, it is a sign that you may be in a toxic workplace.
- Is there something in your personal life that affects your mood?
If so, give yourself a break. A death in the family distracts you from your work. You can rest assured that this mistake will not happen again under different circumstances. These questions will help you find out what caused the mistake and then you can make a game plan to prevent it from happening again.
Conclusion
While difficulties, mistakes, and painful feelings are common in the working life, they are not a reason to quit your current job. This is especially true if you love your job so much that it just feels wrong today. Quitting should not be an option for you. If you need to quit, ask yourself whether your work environment is toxic or not. Is your work getting in the way of achieving your life goals?
If you are feeling bad about your mistakes, you might just want to be a better version of yourself, and I believe you can be that. A mistake at work is not the end of the world. Every mistake is a learning opportunity. It is up to you to use it to your advantage. When you know what to do when you fail, you will grow to be the most outstanding worker. The spotlight will be on you.
“Failure is the greatest teacher. When you choose to learn instead of running away.”
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