Short-comings. Inadequacies. Failings.
We all have them. What do we do with them, though?
Do we let them define us? Do we try to hide them through clever trickery or distractions?
Or do we embrace them, and let them change us into someone who grows and learns from mistakes?
I have made more than my fair share of mistakes. Professional ones, personal ones, and if there are other kinds of mistakes to make, I guarantee you I’ve made them. (This is the point where I’m supposed to make an ex-wife joke, right?)
The thing is, while I hate myself when I screw up, I also become very self aware and then begin to work to change what has happened. (Granted, if I’m given the opportunity to.)
I was the kid who would use his creativity to come up with an elaborate story as to why things happened and what caused them. (“It was that red headed kid who made me steal that snack cake from the cafeteria, honest!” Seriously, I used that once. It worked about as well as you think.)
I have learned, though, it’s better to simply face up to mistakes, learn whatever lesson they are trying to pound into your brain, and move on. Lying about it only makes it worse.
Let me repeat that for you: Lying makes it worse.
Luckily, I learned that lesson some time ago, and now have an even worse problem, I tell the truth almost without reservation! That said, I have stated on more than one occasion that rather than lying I will simply refuse to answer certain questions. They usually start with something like “Does this make me look….?”
Yeah, totally not going there!
So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that while screw ups can really wreck your day, week, month, or longer, they can also drastically change your future for the better.
Provided you act on them, and learn those lessons that are trying so hard to bury themselves in your skull!
Ben Cox is the host of “Ben Cox in the Morning” weekday mornings from 6 to 9 on KQBZ, 96.9 FM in Brownwood Texas. He is the new in-stadium voice of the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football team, & Ben is also an event DJ for weddings, parties and the like, and can be contacted through the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
The thoughts and comments reflected in this column are those of the writer alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Wendlee Broadcasting, or its affiliates.
