PEBBLE
We will all make mistakes. The only people not making mistakes are those not doing anything. That is the biggest mistake of all.
-Mrs. Irene Napier, shared by Beverly in Lexington, KY (who always remembered this advice from her 6th grade teacher)
BOULDER
When you tolerate an error, you rob yourself of learning.
When you ruminate on an error, you rob yourself of happiness.
Notice it, improve it, and move on from it.
~James Clear, shared by Michelle in Kansas City, MO via 3-2-1
PONDER
A few weeks ago in Ripples #1361 we unpacked some ideas for staying hopeful in hard times—an extension of a talk I had recently given (shout out to several new P&G Ripplers!).
What I didn’t share was how mortified I felt at the very end of that presentation, when I realized I had almost completely ignored the entire left side of the audience. While trying to stay in view of the camera broadcasting to remote attendees, I overcompensated and spent nearly the whole time on one side of the room. Gah!
I apologized right away to the folks on the left—and I’m pretty sure they forgave me much faster than I forgave myself. Several days later, I caught myself still ruminating on what felt like such a rookie mistake…one I definitely remember making in my early days of speaking before I developed better habits.
So when I stumbled across today’s quotes—just sitting there patiently, waiting to be noticed—I literally laughed out loud. What a perfectly timed reminder that mistakes are inevitable, and also useful if we see them as steps in our growth** instead of stops to our confidence.
I’m guessing I’m not the only one who’s recently goofed, and then double-goofed by obsessing about it. If that’s you too, maybe today’s Ripple can be your permission slip: find the lesson, leave the rest behind, and keep going.
Peace,
Paul
**P.S. If you could use a refresher (or intro!) on the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, you must check out this charming 3-minute video. It may have been made for kids, but it’s got some serious adulting wisdom packed in there, too.