One Mistake Leads to Another
One mistake doesn’t have to lead to another
You make one mistake, and it feels like that’s it, game over! Fear sets in and confidence drops. You get in your head about making one mistake and if you were in the lead, you lose it. One mistake can feel like a slippery slope to losing but it doesn’t have to be. Let me explain.
Understanding Mistakes
What is a mistake? “An error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment” (dictionary.com). How do mistakes happen? There are two reasons. One, none of us are perfect. There’s no such thing as perfect. The sooner you can let the idea of perfection go, the better. Second, you are still learning and growing. Learning and growing is a lifelong pursuit. We call that growth mindset. This is another concept that is critical to accept.
Why are mistakes important?
Without mistakes, there’s no gauge for improvement. If you don’t make mistakes, how do you know which path you should take next? When you can look at a mistake in this way you advance. You get better versus staying stagnant.
Multitasking
The problem is, we tend to look at mistakes as bad things that we want to fix. When you are in your head trying to fix your mistake, it inevitably leads to another mistake. You cannot be thinking about performing and performing at the same time. I call this multitasking.
When you are in your head, that’s where all your energy is going. You may still be performing but on autopilot. Autopilot means not being truly present. Not being present means you are not performing at your best.
Keeping your head in the game
We all must learn how to bounce back from mistakes, fear, anxiety, and loss. It’s not easy, but it can be done. It’s imperative if you want to keep moving forward and perform at your best. Hanging on to mistakes keeps us stuck in time.
To keep your head in the game, it’s important to learn how to be resilient.
- When you are aware you’ve made a mistake, pause
- Take a deep breath
- Let go of the mistake
- Figure out how you want to move forward
These concepts are not something we are born with or taught. Therefore I am sharing them with you. Understanding mistakes, why they are important, and how to keep your head in the game will help you deal with fear and give you the confidence to move forward.
If you are interested in getting started visit www.beatingthefear.com and get on the waitlist for my Beating the Fear mini-course.
