The Worst Mistake You Can Make

It is not confronting and handling the mistakes you make from the start.

Have you finally been given the opportunity that you worked for so long? And just when you thought you reached all your goals, you made a mistake that made you think it was all over.

I found myself in that dark and ominous place once. I finally got the opportunity that I dreamed about for so long, and shortly after, I made a stupid and foolish mistake. Fearing that I would get fired because my boss would think I was not a fit for the position, I kept it to myself.

I was extremely stressed and frustrated because I felt like a total loser. I knew what I was doing; I had done it several times before, but I overlooked something and caused valuable time and resources to be wasted. Instead of confronting the problem, I kept it a secret.

Not only did that mistake caused my team to scramble around trying to find a solution, but I was feeling so bad watching them go crazy that I continued to make more mistakes.

I thought I was ruined, and I felt so worthless that I just wanted to die. It hurt me to see my teammates trying to figure out what happened while I already knew I was the culprit. Yet, I could not speak up and admit that I had done something wrong.

I pretended to be as clueless as they were and went home feeling stupid. When I got home, I was still frustrated and took out my frustration on my family, who did not know what had happened. My spouse was confused, thinking he had done something wrong, and it made me feel even worse.

I tried to take a nap and forget the whole thing, but when I checked my phone, I realized my mistake continued to cause more problems at work. I didn’t know what to do because coming forward would expose me as a fool and liar. It was killing me inside.

Also, my team figured out I had been the idiot who had made an insignificant mistake. A minute mistake that led to bigger and worst problems.

My boss, who thought I still had no clue about what I had done, brought it to my attention. Still, I pretended not to know, acting totally surprised and even confused.

This, of course, made me feel even worse, like a real loser, because I could have avoided so much if only I had spoken from the beginning. But I didn’t because I focused on my internal feelings instead of the real-world problems I caused.

After talking to my boss, I realized he didn’t care about the mistake I made or even the subsequent mistakes it caused; he just wanted a productive team that looked out for each other. And I felt I wasn’t a match for such a team of hardworking people because not only did I not think of them over my fears, but I made them work more than needed.

I brought the problem home and created an uncomfortable situation with my family. And all I had to do was acknowledge an insignificant mistake from the start, but I failed to build up the courage.

If you are in such a situation at work or elsewhere, don’t let fear take control but do what is right with no second thoughts. Confront the issue and avoid more problems in the long run. You’ll be more appreciated for showing that you can handle your mistakes than for trying to be perfect.