Avoid Mistakes Easily
It all comes down to who/what you trust and asking the right questions
We all want to live a smooth and stress free life. Often times we have a direction we want to go but something happens. We encounter a speedbump or a ditch that causes us delay or damage. Either way, setbacks happen and we always want to avoid mistakes.
Thinking long and hard about the biggest problems I’ve ever had, I kept coming to a similar conclusion. Almost every time I had stress and made mistakes, it was simple. I had a misplacement of faith.
If you think about what happens when we encounter resistance, problems or major setbacks, it is usually due to our belief in a particular person, place or thing.
Personally, my biggest mistakes always involved trusting in the wrong people. Not to say they were evil or had malice — I could have avoided mistakes had I placed less faith in their abilities than I should have. Usually, the writing is on the wall but, we tend to give people more credit than they sometimes deserve.
Avoid “yes men”. Those who tell you what you want to hear can do the most damage.
Trusting the wrong people is not entirely their fault, it’s mostly yours. So many people want to be pleasers. They just don’t want to say “no” — which is nice, but it can only lead you in further where you’ll eventually get stuck.
Cars and machines are similar. The only difference is that when they say “no”, it’s a silent protest and they tend to mean it.
To avoid mistakes, I have taken on more control of situations. I don’t just let things happen. I have a process.
My lines of questioning have become more specific. This has also had the benefit of helping me becoming a better critical thinker.
These days, to avoid mistakes, I ask myself these simple questions:
- Can this person/thing handle what is going to be expected? (do they have the stamina?)
- Does this person/thing have a proven track record? (any history doing this?)
- Does this person have the right enthusiasm for the task/work/proposal? (if there is a lack in experience, do they understand the depth of what it is?)
- How do I feel about working/interacting with this person/thing? (can I stand this person outside of this situation?)
- If emotion were removed, would there still be a desire to set off on this endeavor? (is the desire to do this driven strictly by emotion? Do the numbers and facts line up?)
- How far out can I envision doing this with them/it? (will I want to run like hell after this is done?)
- Why do I trust them/it? (something is leading me to believe in them/it, write down what it is)
To avoid mistakes, we must first make them. It’s a universal truth that the best lessons come from screwing up. Once we do, we learn. My journey has led me to at least learn how to think before I act — to ask the right questions and to view the situation with critical thinking.
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