In my own opinion, I strongly believe that every mistake has a solid structure and when the structure which lies in the domain of our subconscious collapses, it creates broken debris that some people may view as a heap of regret, while others, as a stepping stone which could either allow one see what lies ahead or a stepping stone into a better future.

Here are the things to do when a mistake is made.

1. Allow yourself to feel bad:
There is no right-thinking man that will not be clothed with regrets when a mistake is made. Depending on what has been done, some may be embarrassed, ashamed, worried, or disappointed. But these should make you believe that you have life in you as dead men don’t regret or get disappointed.

2. Validate what went wrong:
Having a dual view towards understanding what happened makes it easier to interpret the mistake. The first view is to study the loopholes in your persons that could have caused the mistake and the second is to pretend as if it was another person made the mistake. Analyzing from the aforementioned viewpoints will make you come to an objective conclusion. Don’t forget to ask yourself what led to the mistake and what you would have done instead. Meanwhile, it is important to note that the result of the analysis may end up showing that you never caused the mistake, but you should always take responsibility.

3. Address the root cause:
A problem known is 50% solved. There are mistakes that would require a total U-turn, while some would warrant you adjust some parts to have it fixed and others to human may seem to be an irreversible catastrophe yet has a way out. Quickly fix the mistake. Where it has caused someone to lose trust in you, make a consented effort to recover that trust. Approach the person(s) and make an honest and regretful apology, they would always accept you back. Where the mistake seems impossible to handle as a human, rely on your creator as He will not hesitate to remove a stumbling block where applicable.

4. Don’t be too hard on yourself:
Rebuilding confidence may be too hard especially when one stumbles. The key is to always remember that most scientists stumbled severally in the course of their inventions. Not giving up was the reason we hear their names today. So pick yourself up and keep moving knowing that, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” says Billy Ocean a musician. Once you get the mistake behind you, focus on the future and where people doubt that you can’t do it, do everything possible to prove them wrong.
Must do in every mistake.
• Responsibilities must be accepted
• One must learn something from every mistake
• Trust broken must be recovered
• Blaming others or being defensive is making another mistake
• Always be on the move
• Never dwell in the past.

Written by Henry Okechukwu