Motivational Power Quote
Turning a Mistake Into an Opportunity
“A man
must be big enough to admit his mistakes,
smart enough to profit from them,
and strong enough to correct them.”
John C. Maxwell, Leadership Expert and Author
As I see it. . . . . . . .
Turning a mistake into an opportunity
Mistakes by their nature are
misunderstood and can become . . . . the source of massive stress in a person’s
life. A mistake can derail one person’s success journey . . . . and propel
another person to greater heights.
The difference between the two is a
person’s perception of mistakes . . . . and how they respond to them.
There is an old saying that the only
people that are longer making mistakes are those in the cemetery . . . . and in
reality the statement isn’t true. The person that fears making a mistake . . .
. and doesn’t extend themselves to try is essentially making a mistake. They
have made the mistake of failing to try . . . . or to engage life to reach
their full potential out of the fear of making a mistake.
The fact is that people will make
mistakes. Anyone who’s working hard to succeed will make mistakes . . . . as a
result of stretching their limits to succeed. No productive person will
purposely sets out to make a mistake . . . . the mistakes happen as a
bi-product of trying to succeed.
Five steps that can turn a mistake
into an opportunity:
1.
Admit the mistake – don’t make excuses; don’t try to
blame someone or the circumstances for the mistake. Take the personal
responsibility for the mistake and the solution. Once you admit the mistake your time becomes
productive in seeking the solutions and not
being wasted in the blame game. Admitting the mistake takes courage and move in
the direction of resolution.
2.
It in the attitude – your attitude will determine how you
see the mistake and how you approach the issue. Look at the mistake through the
eyes of what is possible and you will not only see the solution you will also
see the opportunity.
3.
Resolve the mistake – mistakes need to be resolved. The
longer a mistake goes unattended the more damage it can do. Unattended mistakes
have a life of their own and can grow out of control. When a mistake happens make
the commitment to resolve the issue as quickly as possible with the best
solution possible.
4.
Learn from the mistake – with a
mistake comes a life lesson. Learn how to avoid the mistake in the future. Take
the positive lessons from the mistakes and learn how to apply them in the
future to enhance your success journey. The greatest lesson from a mistake is
to have an open mind and be receptive to learning and growing as a person.
5.
Turn the mistake in an opportunity – a mistake
is a condition that can be used as a spring board to opportunity. In many cases
when people are faced with dealing with a mistake they withdraw from the issue that
in itself compounds the mistakes. Your attitude will determine how we deal with
a mistake. With a possibility attitude you will see the mistake as a
springboard to opportunity. Not only will you successfully work your way
through the mistake . . . . but when you emerge from the mistake will have
found the opportunity.
The five steps to turn a mistake into an
opportunity is a systematic approach to successfully work your way through a
mistake and to find the opportunity in the process.
Turning a mistake into an opportunity .
. . . is a proactive business choice.
©2013 Lou Ludwig, Sales and Management
Consultant, Success Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Author
