No one likes making a mistake. This is especially true for perfectionists. You want to do everything perfectly.
There is no “good enough” is there? At least not yet; that’s one of the things you need to work on to make progress over your perfectionism. When something goes wrong, it may feel like the world has ended and that you’re a failure.
Mistakes and failure aren’t the same thing, however.
Even if something you tried to do didn’t work -even if it “failed” spectacularly -that’s not the same thing as failure, much less the same thing as you being a failure.
Follow these steps to help yourself handle mistakes positively.
1.) Remind Yourself That Making a Mistake Isn’t a Failure
Mistakes happen to everyone. They’re a part of life. This is because no one among us is perfect, not even perfectionists. Making a mistake doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Even a failing grade on a test or in a class doesn’t mean you failed.
You only fail if you quit.
2.) Mistakes Aren’t a Reflection on Your Worth as a Person
Next, remind yourself that whatever the mistake was it does not reflect on who you are or your worth as a person.
It was a mistake, an accident, not something you did deliberately, and even if you didn’t succeed at something, it has no bearing on your worth.
3.) Acknowledge the Mistake
It might be tempting to pretend the mistake didn’t happen, to brush it off like it was nothing important. This might salvage the bruise to your ego, but it won’t help you learn anything, and if someone was harmed by your mistake, they deserve an apology.
4.) Determine What Went Wrong
Do you know what caused the mistake? Why did it happen? What led to the issue in the first place? Was it something you did? Something you didn’t do? Were there causes beyond your control? Try to determine the root cause of the issue. That will lead you directly into the last step.
5.) Figure Out What You Can Learn from the Mistake
Mistakes might be painful, but every mistake is an opportunity to learn and grow as a person. Look at the mistake and the cause and see what lessons you can learn. Then, apply those lessons in the future so that you don’t make the same mistake again. Perfection isn’t possible, but self-improvement certainly is!