I hate making mistakes. Especially at work. It rattles me to the core. I feel exposed and self-conscious.
As an adult, I understand that learning from errors leads to growth. My husband, a very secure individual, rarely struggles to admit his missteps. He does not appear to be shaken, he acknowledges he was wrong and moves forward.
Isn’t that so annoyingly healthy?
I am not so healthy. When I am confronted with an error, I stew, I fuss, and I make sure to lose time from sleep to perseverate.
Why is that?
I guess when your identity is found in achievement, anything less than a gold star feels like failure.
Recently, a colleague of mine needed some cheering up. She had worked hard on career advancement but unfortunately had not met her goal. In trying to find a quote to inspire her, I became depressed. All of the helpful thoughts on “failure” seemed to magnify the disappointment rather than reassure her about the future.
After scanning the available options, I landed on “thinking of you.” An absolutely boring greeting but preferable to any mention of defeat.
Competitive natures? Overly self motivated?
Probably all of the above.
But alas, there is a blessing in the crazy. Although the perfectionist individual may suffer, the world will advance with such drive.
Deep breaths and move forward to the future.
K