Some Mistakes Have to Be Made

A few weeks ago I changed the spark plugs in my wife’s car. If you’re a mechanic or done the job before, it’s simple.

I’ve never done the job before.

I read the service manual which makes car maintenance similar to building with Legos. Remove shroud D (See diagram) then disconnect coil pack and remove spark plug.

Who could mess that up?

I finished the job and started the car expecting to pat myself on the back for a job well done. Unfortunately, the car ran poorly, for something was horribly wrong. The check engine light was also on.

We were leaving for vacation the next morning.

This is one of those moments where age, a.k.a. life experience, came to my rescue. I knew I had done something wrong but I also knew there was no way it could be a major thing.

I went back under the hood to find my mistake.

In my excitement, I forgot to plug one of the coils back in. The four-cylinder car was running on three. I plugged the coil in and soon after the check engine light was off.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Somewhere in my life I was taught, or taught myself, that mistakes are a bad thing. They’re not. Mistakes are how we learn.

Mistakes are OK.

There’s no shame in mistakes and trust me you’re not the first one to have made that mistake, no matter what it is.

Have you made any mistakes this week?

The Right Attitude With Mistakes

Years ago I went for a walk and ended up watching a little league game. The boys were in 5th or 6th grade.

While they played the most amazing thing took place.

When one of the boys struck out or dropped a ball his teammates would clap and say something like, “You’ll get them next time.” Not one boy said a negative thing.

Would being hard on the kid who dropped the ball have helped? How do you feel if someone says, “No big deal,” when you make a mistake?

If you make a mistake cut yourself some slack. You learned a valuable lesson and you’ll get them next time!