Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned

I read a good blog post the other day titled “20 Life Lessons I Learned in my 20s” from Marc and Angel Hack Life. I’m almost 30, so I could relate. It made me recall lessons I’ve learned from my professional slip-ups. Here are some of my own mishaps and how I resolved them.

• My Uncomfortable Laugh. When I get nervous, I tend to laugh awkwardly. This can make you look bad in front of your bosses, clients or potential clients because they may think you’re laughing at them.

Solution: I became conscious of this habit after my boss (thankfully) called it to my attention. I joined Toastmasters and worked on becoming more confident in meetings. Now I laugh only when things are funny.

• Trying to be “Good” at Everything. When I first joined the agency in 2002, I thought I had to be a “jack-of-all trades” because we are “full-service.” So when I wrote my first official PR plan, I didn’t ask for any input prior to starting because I thought I needed to showcase my skills. Wrong move. The plan had more red marks on it from my boss than a freshman English essay.

Solution: Now I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I accentuate my strengths and unabashedly ask for guidance, when needed. You don’t have to be good at everything; you just need to be good at utilizing your resources. For example, one of my co-workers is an amazing editor, another knows how to articulate marketing language very well and another is a whiz at knowing what makes a good blog post. I’m better at what I do because of them.

• Not Editing Enough. I mistakenly thought that if you’re a good writer you should be able to knock out press releases and bylined articles fast. Wrong. It takes research, editing and reading out loud. And then editing it some more.

Solution: I allow myself time to edit and delve into the subjects I’m writing about – and it has made a world of difference. As author William Zinsser wrote, “There’s no good writing – there’s just good editing.” Also, to help my usage mishaps (i.e., entitled vs. titled), I bought The Wrong Word Dictionary. I highly recommend it.

Of course, the list can go on. I’ve heard that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. I agree with that – but recognizing, acknowledging and owning your mistakes is how you grow. So what are your mistakes?

Photo credit: ktpupp