Get Up, Dust Off, Move On!

Wise words that I was told by my mentor during a particularly difficult time when I felt I could do nothing right in my job. I am probably my own worst critic, and I am told that I am unnecessarily hard on myself, especially when I make mistakes. I dwell on them, stew in them, overthink them, go over them for days in my head asking myself questions such as, 

“Where did it start to go wrong?”

“Could I have done something different?”

“What could I have said differently?”

“Did I not express myself correctly?”

“Did I not use the correct legal terminology?”

And around and around it goes in my head, torturing myself over something that I cannot change as it is done!  

I was particularly down and must have seemed low one day, as my mentor asked me how I was doing. I didn’t hold back in telling him what was happening, and he just came out and said it. “You are going to make mistakes; you are just starting out so you will make a few as you learn and gain experience. What you do is, you get up, you dust yourself off, make a note of what happened whether mental, phone or paper, and you move forward from it. Don’t hang yourself over it but don’t ignore or hide it. Address it, move on!”

Wise words and although I am still trying to implement that advice, I do not think I am as bad as I once was. I will still ponder on it for at least a few days, but yes, I soon move on from it. The words from some song come to mind – “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” You know something, in some limited way, the phrase is probably correct. I am getting stronger and wiser as I learn from my mistakes and move on to become a better solicitor. 

Hopefully someday, I will be wise enough to pass the knowledge on to others. For now, baby steps. But the one main thing I did take away, is that you should admit your mistakes, talk about them, take advice from others, try to correct them and if they can’t be fixed, limit the damage, and learn.

I feel fortunate to have at least one person in the firm that I can go to and talk to and seek help when I need it. Find that one person and you will be OK!

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