Proofreading errors are something that have always irritated me over the years of owning my consultancy and coaching firm. We had two of them this past week and you would have thought that something really horrible had happened in the NMA world.
So after this past week of coaching myself and discussing what steps we can take to not have errors of this type, I decided I would share what I consider to be good next steps in getting over something that is irritating, but certainly not life threatening.
First, how did we become aware of the errors? People just like you took their time to let us know. I sent thank you notes to these people and let them know that it is important to NMA and myself that we have high quality delivery of our content. NMA is communication.
And then I yelled out a big “DAMNIT”.
Is my reaction connected to wanting to be in control and not wanting to be wrong? You bet. Is it connected to some deep seated psychological childhood mindset? Yes. I was raised in a military family where “getting caught” for an error was not ever ok. Having someone then point out the error was even worse. Silence was better.
Well, I am here to tell you that silence is not better and the amazing people who have been a part of NMA and take their precious time to share that there is an error, are high on my list of giving a big hug and smooch if we were in the same room together.
But wanting to duck because NMA made an error keeps me in good awareness that my control issues still exist and I have an opportunity to continue to work on that which is important – don’t sweat the small stuff.
Every time we react in a negative way to a mistake, it is connected to something inside of us that does not want to be wrong…especially publicly. Let me share some examples:
- Remember the time you felt you disappointed someone important – yes, that feeling
- Having a disagreement you were sure you lost – in front of important people
- Caught making errors on an important report – maybe even for a second time – because you were moving too fast
Everyone makes mistakes or experiences disappointment in themselves. It is what we do with it that gets us past the constant beating ourselves up.
A perfect example of not getting it right the first time is my grand boy JFH who is now 10 months old. He is in the mode of trying and totally failing with many things. Yet he keeps trying because he does not yet know that he cannot possibly do whatever it is he is trying to do. Right now it is standing and moving from one piece of furniture to another without a knock on his head or losing his balance. I have watched him try more than a hundred times in the last two weeks once he got this standing up thing nailed.
JFH keeps trying. He smiles and gets up again. He laughs and crawls to the next piece of furniture and tests his ability to get right this time. He is not angry, disappointed or reluctant to take on this walking thing.
And he is the inspiration to me about the errors.
Get over it Gramma.
Get over it dear clients, prospects, friends, blog readers, checklist subscribers, audience members. I have the best coach and trainer in this little guy. He is showing me that there are so many more important things in life and business than PROOFREADING ERRORS.
It is stunning to observe a new life learning all those skills we do not even consider as skills. Walking. Feeding ones self. Standing up. Sitting down. Picking up small objects.
Enjoy your learning. Enjoy your relearning.
Are we a bit hyped with proofreading here at NMA? Yes, but it will make us better and certainly more human.
To your success,
P.S. Join us Wednesday, September 21 at noon CST – the third Wednesday of the month – for our call supporting your best steps in leading, communication, time management, life balance, and so much more. Sign up here. You can also email me your questions/concerns for the call when you sign up. Would love to see what is keeping you thinking and growing in your life. We will record the call if you cannot make it with us live, but you still need to register so we can send you the replay.