How to Bounce Back from Your Mistakes

Making mistakes at work, at school, or at home can be demoralizing, especially if you try your hardest to stay on top of your responsibilities and commitments. You may make mistakes because you are overly tired, feeling overwhelmed, or simply due to forgetfulness. Rather than beat yourself up over your mistakes, you should learn how to bounce back and recover from them. You should then consider how you can prevent making mistakes in the future so you can feel confident and in control.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Recovering from Your Mistakes

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Take a deep breath and stay calm. The first step to bouncing back from a mistake is to take a deep breath and take a step back. Inhale and exhale a few times so you do not get overwhelmed or let your emotions take over. Making a mistake can be frustrating, but getting upset will do no good. Stay calm so you can assess the situation and recover from it.^{[1]XResearch source}
- You may sit at your desk and take a few deep, cleansing breaths with your eyes closed. You may count to four on your inhale and count to four on your exhale so you slow down your breathing and stay calm.
- You may also regroup in a quiet area so you can process your mistake and think about how to bounce back from it with a clear head. Go for a walk, get a cup of coffee, or simply sit in a quiet area for a few minutes to calm down.
2
Assume responsibility for your mistake. Once you have regained control of your emotions, you should own up to your mistake. Though you may want to forget your mistake as soon as it happens, you should try to take responsibility for what you did. Only then can you address your mistake and bounce back. You may do this by apologizing for what you did to the person you wronged or by admitting your mistake to the necessary parties.^{[2]XResearch source}
- For example, perhaps you made a mistake at work where you misplaced a client’s information. You should own up to your mistake by telling your boss what happened and apologizing for your mistake. You may say, “I apologize for misplacing the information. It is my fault and I take full responsibility.”
- Perhaps you make a mistake at school where you leave an assignment at home. You may then speak to your teacher after class and apologize for your mistake. You may say, “It was my fault for leaving my assignment at home and I apologize for my mistake.”
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3
Do not place blame on others. Though you may find it difficult to own up to your mistakes, try not to shift the blame on others. Doing this will only lead to further conflict and make you seem like a coward. Instead, try to admit to your mistakes and take the blame for your actions. Passing the blame on to others will only make you look bad and complicate matters further.
- For example, perhaps you make a mistake at home by breaking your mother's favorite figurine. You may be tempted to blame your mistake on your sister so you do not get in trouble with your mother. But doing this will only lead to a fight with your sister and make your mother even more upset at you for breaking the figurine and then lying about it.
4
Come up with a solution to your mistake. After you have owned up to your mistake, you should consider how you can address the mistake and remedy it. Take action and problem solve so your mistake can be addressed and fixed. If you realize there is an easy fix for your mistake, act on it. If you feel the fix for your mistake may be more complex, try to address it as best you can.^{[3]XResearch source}
- For example, you may problem solve a mistake you made at work by recovering your client’s information. You may then have a one on one meeting with the client where you explain that you have recovered the information and assure the client it will not be lost again.
- You may problem solve a mistake made at school by talking with your teacher about getting extra credit to make up for the missed assignment or a late grade if you bring in the assignment the following day. You may need to convince the teacher to allow you to make up for your mistake and present these options to sway them.
5
Focus on moving forward. Once you have owned up to your mistake and come up with ways to address it, you should try to move forward with confidence. Though you may feel demoralized by your mistake, do not let it get to you. Instead, think about how you can recover and move forward from your mistake. Dwelling on your mistakes will only lead to inaction on your part and will not do any good.^{[4]XExpert SourceAnnie Lin, MBA
Life & Career CoachExpert Interview. 25 November 2019.}
- You can move forward by putting on a positive tone and emphasizing to others that you have a solution or remedy for your mistake. You should try to present your solution with confidence and then move on, focusing on other tasks or issues. Avoid whining, complaining, or feeling sorry for yourself.
- If your mistake only affects you, you should try to let go of the mistake and focus on moving on. Rather than think about "what ifs" or keep asking yourself, "why did I make that dumb mistake?", try to let it go and move on.
- Moving on from your mistakes can be difficult, especially if you tend to take your mistakes to heart. Try to keep your mistakes in perspective and remember that everyone makes them. Try to view every mistake as a learning experience and make an effort to prevent the same mistakes from happening again in the future.
6
Put things in perspective. While a mistake may seem like the end of the world when it first happens, this is often not the case. By asking yourself some questions, you may be able to put things into perspective and feel better about the situation. Some questions to ask yourself include:
- Did anyone die or get hurt as a result of this situation?
- Is this something I will be thinking about one year from now? Five years from now?
- Is this something I can fix with money or by making an apology?
- Can I learn something from this situation? If so, what?
- Is this really important in the big picture?
7
Develop your resilience. Being resilient makes it easier for you to bounce back from your mistakes. Try to develop your resilience so that you will have an easier time dealing with mistakes in the future. Some things you can do to develop your resilience include:^{[5]XResearch source}
- Setting realistic goals for yourself.
- Building your self-confidence.
- Learning from your mistakes.
- Remembering that you can choose how to respond.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Preventing Mistakes in the Future

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Look for opportunities to learn and grow. You can prevent mistakes in the future by changing the way you see mistakes. Instead of dwelling on them, try to look for ways that you can learn and grow from them. What lesson can you take away from the situation? Then, use this awareness to avoid making the same mistake twice.^{[6]XResearch source}
- For example, perhaps you know that you tend to make the mistake of missing a deadline for class or cramming right before a deadline. You may then admit this typical mistake to yourself so you can address it.
- You may also notice that you often forget client information at work. You may then remind yourself to remember your client’s information and keep it in a safe place so you cannot make the mistake of forgetting it again.
2
Use positive affirmations. You can also prevent mistakes and prop up your self-esteem by using positive affirmations on a daily basis. Rather than beat yourself up about your past mistakes, try to focus on the positive. You may find saying positive affirmations to yourself on a daily basis can improve your mood and help you focus on your strengths, rather than your mistakes.^{[7]XResearch source}
- For example, you may say to yourself in the morning, “I am powerful and strong. I may make mistakes but that is okay.” You may also remind yourself, “Making mistakes is part of life. If I focus and stay positive, I can avoid making mistakes.”
3
Develop better personal habits. You should make an effort to adjust your personal daily habits so you less prone to mistakes. You may make a few small tweaks to your habits to ensure you do not fall into bad behavior or actions that could lead to mistakes. Doing this can help you stay positive and avoid making mistakes that you then have to bounce back or recover from.^{[8]XExpert SourceAnnie Lin, MBA
Life & Career CoachExpert Interview. 25 November 2019.}
- For example, you may realize that you often make the mistake of waking up late for work on a constant basis. You may then address this mistake by adjusting your morning habits and waking up one hour earlier for work. Or you may get into the habit of packing your lunch and laying out your outfit the night before so the morning is less hectic and mistake-prone.
- If you tend to cram for exams and stress out before a test, you may prevent mistakes by creating a study schedule. You can then get in the habit of studying in advance so you do not make the mistake of sleeping in before a test or cramming right before an exam.
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