Don’t make the same mistake twice – End of the Day for June 24, 2014

Mistakes are a part of life. We all make them and, over the course of our lives, we make a lot of them. That is simply the way things work. That said, I wish more people would live by two rules I try to apply each day. I am not always successful, but by trying I feel that even if I don’t make fewer mistakes at least I make better mistakes.

My two rules about mistakes:

We all make mistakes, but our goal is to make a few as possible and correct the quickly
Never make the same mistake twice

I have always thought the #2 was the more important rule to follow, while #1 is the easier one. Unfortunately, many people seem to break #2 again and again. I have these people in my life and I am sure you have them in yours, too. Heck, even I break Rule #2 on occasion, but then I try to apple Rule #1 to recover.

Making the same mistake twice — or over and over — makes your life more difficult as well as making it more difficult for those around you. It can also make you look really, really stupid. Now, I am not saying your ARE stupid, only that it makes you appear that way. As you might imagine, that is not the image anyone wants to present to their friends, family or even strangers. We want and need to show that we are intelligent human beans capable of learning from our mistakes and trying not to repeat them.

This was brought to mind today after another, hopefully final, visit from the Gas Company. They schedule today to perform the final, permanent repair on our leaking gas line. I mentioned the Gas Company about a week ago, as when they first came to make the temporary repair, they accidentally cut the soaker hose that ran through that garden bed. Now, based on the title of this essay, what do you think they did today? Yep, cut right through it again, even after I had repaired the initial cut. Even worse, it was the same crew who was here the first time. They knew they cut the soaker. They knew it was there and they still cut it again! They were very nice guys and competent workers in all other ways, but it really made me wonder what they were thinking. The Gas Company did replace the hose, thank goodness, now that I will have to replace it. I am usually willing to do one repair on a hose, but two can cause too many leaks and also reduces the overall length of the hose. Still, it really made me wonder.

If you make a mistake, learn as much from it as possible. Develop policies. Make protocols. Take notes. Ties a string around your finger. Do whatever it takes to not make that same mistake twice. Your life will be easier — and better — for it.

Previously on End of the Day: