Last week, one of our Echo team members sent an email to every attendee. Unfortunately, she added all the email addresses in the “To” field instead of the “BCC” field. Very contra email etiquette.
As soon as she hit “send”, she walked into my office with her face drooping to the floor. She felt horrible. Time slowed down as she hit send, realizing right after she clicked the button that she’d done it wrong. She beat herself up as I tried to assure her it would be ok.
But then it happened. A couple emails rolled in. A few tweets came through. People were “severely disappointed” that we’d made this mistake. Criticism. People knew we’d “failed” and were going to make sure we knew it too.
Now, that wasn’t a failure. It was a mistake. We all make mistakes. And the funny thing is, when I replied to these folks explaining the situation, they were all incredibly sympathetic. They’d all experienced a situation like that. We all have. But for some reason, they were more than happy to kick someone else while they were down – even though they’ve been there themselves.
It fascinates me. Why do we love seeing that other people fail? Why are we so quick to criticize others’ mistakes when we are terrified of the same happening to us? I’m not sure.
But this lesson taught me two things about failure. First, I’m not going to be that person. When someone fails, I choose to be a support system. I choose to help lift them up and encourage them to keep moving. Failure isn’t as bad as we think it is.
Secondly, I need to realize that everyone has failed. Maybe they haven’t failed putting together a conference for 1,000 people, but they can all relate to failure within the scope of their projects. I’m not alone in this failure.
Thousands of people fail every day. And the world keeps turning. And they become successful.
Failure isn’t such a big deal. Let’s stop making it so.
But by pointing that they sent this emails, aren’t you pointing out their failures? And by posting this comment, am I pointing our your failure to not point out failures?
Failure is more a result of perception than an actual event. I wouldn’t call this a failure. So many times we focus on one instance…success…but we fail to miss that success isn’t a battle. It’s a war. It doesn’t matter how many battles we lose as long as we keep fighting and win the war.
I know you were just being silly…but smack! I’m preaching to you anyways. 😛
I was just being silly. 🙂
But by pointing that they sent this emails, aren’t you pointing out their failures? And by posting this comment, am I pointing our your failure to not point out failures?
Failure is more a result of perception than an actual event. I wouldn’t call this a failure. So many times we focus on one instance…success…but we fail to miss that success isn’t a battle. It’s a war. It doesn’t matter how many battles we lose as long as we keep fighting and win the war.
I know you were just being silly…but smack! I’m preaching to you anyways. 😛
I was just being silly. 🙂
You sound like my wife when I yell at people in traffic. 😉 Good word Jonathan, we do need to remember to assume the best intentions and not the worst.
You sound like my wife when I yell at people in traffic. 😉 Good word Jonathan, we do need to remember to assume the best intentions and not the worst.
“Sir, what is the secret you your success?”
“Good decisions.”
” How do you make good decisions?”
“Experience.”
“How do you get that experience?”
“Bad decisions.”
“Sir, what is the secret you your success?”
“Good decisions.”
” How do you make good decisions?”
“Experience.”
“How do you get that experience?”
“Bad decisions.”
I just start to following you and your words are very helpful to me, Thankyou 😉
You got it! 🙂
I just start to following you and your words are very helpful to me, Thankyou 😉
You got it! 🙂
Great words bro!
Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Proverbs 18:21
Choose life.
Great words bro!
Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Proverbs 18:21
Choose life.
Sad but I even think its more common among Christians than those outside the church. We all need a little more “Grace Wins”!
Sad but I even think its more common among Christians than those outside the church. We all need a little more “Grace Wins”!