mistakes

[forgotten_aria]

If there is something you're trying to change about yourself, but you sometimes slip, do you think it's better to just accept your mistake,s or let people you work with know that you're trying to work on the problem?

Comments

[blk]

I am confused why that is an "or." Is it not possible to accept that you make mistakes, while still trying to work on them?

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

I phrased it badly, it should have been "accept the mistake, stay quiet and just try to do better next time."

[dcltdw]

I think there's a fine line in between that I try to hit. "Hey. I messed up doing X. I'll do better next time by doing Y." And then I drop it.

My reasoning is:
1. No one wants to hear the gory details of how I screwed up.
2. People want some assurance beyond "sowwy" that it won't happen again. Oh look, a plan? Good.
3. No one wants to hear me apologize more than once.

So to me, it's a finely-mixed combination of the above.

[cfox.livejournal.com]

It's all in the details. Obvious attempts at self-improvement often make bystanders a little uncomfortable, because they will dwell on what they should be doing to improve themselves.

If the mistake has a burden to them, then "here's my plan" may help. If the mistake is ultimately harmless, but weird, you may do better to model accepting your shortcomings, without mentioning the plan.

(My example of the latter is that I tend to not see human faces; most of my dog park acquaintances are happy to accept that I can't reliably recognize them without their dog, but are likely to be offended if I don't offer an excuse when caught out.)