YOU MESSED UP!! Now Keep it Movin !

May 27, 2009

One of my favorite clients has a saying she is known for: “Keep it movin’! referring to the fact that once something is done, it’s not like when we were kids playing kickball, and we could just shout, “do-over” and everything was good to go. British writer Victoria Holt echoes this sentiment in her statement,

“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” In business, as in life, you will make mistakes. Some might suggest that if you haven’t made any mistakes, you probably haven’t done much! If you look at many of the people who have accomplished the most in life, you will probably find that they’ve made mistakes – lots of them. Some may even be bold enough to tell you that half of the decisions they made were WRONG. Dead WRONG. Well, you have to ask yourself: what made them successful. The answer is quite simple – there is nothing new here.

They accepted the mistake as being a mistake
They found out why it was a mistake
They learned from the mistake
They determined how to avoid the mistake, again
They kept their attitude in check
They tried again

What needs to be new or different is how we handle the inevitable mistakes, and, for that matter, the way that we approach each others’ mistakes. We all make them, quite often, in an attempt to do something that is very right. Sometimes, there will be penalties for the mistakes that we make. Since mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, from buying the wrong paper to opening the wrong business at the wrong time, it seems that the major factor is how we handle it, and how we treat others who have made those mistakes.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” – Luke 6:31, NIV

Assuming you would rather not be drawn and quartered for every mistake you make, this might be a very simple rule by which you respond to others’ mistakes. Just imagine if everyone took that attitude. Just imagine if everyone would simply “KEEP IT MOVIN’!”

Aepiphanni is a Business Consultancy that provides Management Consulting, Implementation and Managed Services to business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to improve or expand operations. We are the trusted advisor to those seeking forward-thinking operational and strategic solutions to help them plan for and navigate through the challenges of business growth. If you are ready to discuss how Aepiphanni can help you with business strategy, overcoming challenges to growth or any number of business solutions for your business, whether a small, growing or established company, contact us directly or submit a request for a complimentary Coffee & a Consult to learn how we can help you CREATE | DESIGN | BUILD an Extraordinary company.

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Rick Meekins

Rick Meekins is the Managing Partner at Aepiphanni, a Business Consultancy, an Atlanta, GA based small business consultancy that provides Management Consulting, Implementation and Managed Services to business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to improve or expand operations.

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