Enlightened Over Enraged

This article is about getting better with every mistake you make, something I have always implemented in my life’s effort. We have all heard the adage that it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, but that you get up and try again. While this may be true, in actuality, it takes quite a bit more than just getting up. If you get knocked down and get right back up, but do the same thing you originally did to get knocked down, chances are you will end up knocked down again. The trick is to understand why you got knocked down in the first place. As George Santayana said; “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.

I can remember many years back when I played football, watching other players that would get beat on the field and then get mad, waving their hands, cursing, yelling, pounding the ground, or many other foolish things to express their anger over the fact that they just got vanquished by the other team. To be honest, I never understood this behavior. Not because I never had been outplayed by another, but because when it did happen, I would stop and analyze what just transpired. I would figure out where I went wrong, make some adjustments and then try again, usually with better results than just getting mad and making disparaging remarks about the other person’s mother.

This application applies in all walks of life including work. Many times I see people blame others for their shortcomings, or blame other companies when things go wrong, rather than looking internally at what they could have done better. It seems that we live in an age today where everything is somebody else’s fault and no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. Consider this your wakeup call if you are someone who likes to cast blame. If you find yourself in an unfavorable position, chances are you contributed to the chain of events and put yourself in that position. Take the time to learn from it and avoid those same actions again in the future.

The truth is that every failure, every mistake, every time something doesn’t go your way, you are faced with a teachable moment wherein you have a chance to analyze what went wrong, make some adjustments and get back out there and try again. It is your choice to become enraged and to continue making the same mistakes over and over again, or to take the time to understand where, when, and why things went the way they did-- and become enlightened.