Photo by albertw via Flickr Creative Commons
Have you heard the saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice?
Roy C. Sullivan was a forest ranger in Virginia who was hit by lightning on seven different occasions between 1942 and 1977.
It makes you wonder, what did he do to be struck seven times? Did he do anything to avoid being struck again? If it was me, I would have found a new job, preferably one that involved a lot of time spent indoors!
Are there areas in your life, where you feel like you keep getting “ hit by lightning?” So how do you avoid finding yourself in the same spot again?
- Admit you made a mistake – don’t look for who to blame, unless it involves a mirror.
- Let go of perfectionism – it is ok to make mistakes, but it is important to learn from them. Avoid making the same mistake over and over.
- If others are involved, be sure to apologize (again, without blaming!)
- Step back and try to get some perspective. Ask questions like “what am I learning here?” and “What can I do differently to change the outcome?”
For practical and powerful tips on asking good questions of yourself, I strongly recommend an incredible, but easy read: QBQ! Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller.
Every mistake or failure is an opportunity to learn and grow – don’t waste a good learning opportunity.
What ways to you keep from repeating the same mistake? I’d love to hear from you, please leave me a comment below.
I’ve read and enjoyed many of John Miller’s books. I’m reading his QBQ Parenting one now and really enjoy it.
It’s important to evaluate and learn from both our success and mistakes. It’s really not a huge mistake or failure if we learn and grow because of it. Great post!
Thanks Dan – I forgot about QBQ for parenting, I imagine I could make good use of that. What has been your favorite part of that book so far?
My fist comment to you got lost in cyberspace – oops. I’m interested in checking out QBQ Parenting – is there a particular age of child it is aimed to help with?
Whoops, I recommend it. I’ve only read a few pages but think it would help any parent.
I’ve heard that once you’ve been hit by lightning it’s actually attracted to you. Do you think there’s any truth in that? It would make a good metaphor. Once you do something outside of your ethical boundaries, other unethical practices might become attracted to you.
Interesting thought – a friend of mine had lightning pass through him while he was sleeping with his hand on a window sill, and some pretty strange things related to electricity were happening to him for the next couple weeks.
The metaphore that jumps out at me is the “path of least resistance.” Using your example of ethics, compromising is a reduction of resistance, making future compromise more likely if no intervention happens.
Thanks for sharing your comments Dan!