No One's Perfect...
Whenever I would make a mistake, even a small mistake at work, my stress level would increase dramatically, almost to the point of a panic attack. I simply couldn't handle the idea that my mistake might not be as bad as I thought. It wasn't until I suffered through many of these incidents, and my boss or co-workers were there to help me fix the problem, that I realized it wasn't so bad. The best thing to do, as instructed in this course, is to stop, think things through, and make a rational decision as to what is the best course of action to fix the mistake.
It is always about the level of the mistake but it is usually fixable and a learning curve moment. I have always said that no one that makes a mistake must not be doing anything to better the situation. None of us like to make mistakes but I can assure you with over 41 years in this business I have made my share.
I have learned that sometimes when you make mistakes you can learn more about how to handle a given situation or problem better than not having made the mistake in the first place. What I'm trying to say is don't treat all mistakes as a negative.
Mistakes can be part of learning and it is good to view it this way. As we all know the bigger the mistake the more consequences to the outcome. But even with this in mind your attitude is correct.
I've noticed that being a Type A personality and being a self professed overachiever, I put myself under a certain degree of pressure before beginning a project or task. While I am typically successful, when I am overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure, I tend to make uncessary mistakes. I do not like the deadlines of it was due yesterday, as I am a planner;therefore, this adds more stress on top of it. I tend then to go into panic mode and at times miss things, such as proofreading errors, etc. It's very frustrating. I am going to use the stop, breathe, evalauate method from this point on to try and eleviate the immediate pressure.
Karin,
I have great empathy for you. I am the same type of person. I have been assessed as a very high type "A" personality. I have some of the same issues you have. I have friends or employees who are great proof readers. I a long time ago have accepted my weaknesses and surrounded myself with people who can assist in this area. I have improved my proofing skills by overseeing their work for me.
Dr. Gary Carlson
