Blunder

Letter

IT’S never easy to admit we made  mistakes, but admittedly,  it’s a crucial step in learning, growing, improving ourselves and moving forward positively.

One classic example of such blunder was the invite for that unwanted guest  during  an event of the Cagayan de Press Cub. It was one good case of deja vu.

As this year’s over-all chair of the celebration,  I could only heave a sigh and say sorry to all my colleagues in the profession for the unpremeditated lapse.

Another classic example of blunder was the not-so-pleasing-to-the-eye scene during the Asean Summit.

It was how President Duterte presented himself  before an international audience like the convergence of  the just concluded  meeting of  Asean  leaders in Manila.

He was the only head of state dressed up so miserably  —  in appearance and in form. Without doubt, President Duterte is a certified lousy dresser.

It could have been more formal if his coterie of  fashion  geeks had the courage to package the president in such  manner like all other dignitaries present who were on their best form for the day.

Another case of blunder worth its salt was when I was served  with a police report for committing a  traffic violation not of my own making.  A relative who took the car a day earlier had kept me in the dark, hence the hysterics that followed.

If we can only learn to accept our blunders and shortcomings in life, and treat them as opportunities for learning and personal growth, then we shall feel less stressed and at peace with anyone.

Admission of mistakes can make learning possible by moving the focus away from the  blame game and eventually towards better understanding of the realities in life.

Undoubtedly, wise people admit their mistakes easily. They pretty well know that progress accelerates when they move forward with optimism.

Actually, there are no mistakes in life; only lessons. What this means is that whenever something happens, there is always a gem for us to learn from.

If we do something incorrectly, or we do something that makes us feel bad, we may get angry with ourselves. Most of us have a habit of beating ourselves up mentally — over and over again.

The fact is that when we make mistakes, there are lessons for us to learn. Blunders are gifts. They offer us the opportunity to explore an area where perhaps we are deficient, need additional knowledge, or need to re-evaluate our approaches and strategies.

Some people refuse to accept that they did something wrong.  This is known as  victim mentality. They rationalize, deny, make excuses, justify, and blame.

These people have not yet learned to accept responsibility for themselves and for their actions.

When we do something wrong or something doesn’t quite work out the way we want it to be, there are ways of managing it so that we learn the lesson, move on from it, and grow stronger in the process.

By adopting some  approaches to life, we can learn to handle ourselves  gracefully and deepen our relationships with ourselves and with others.

If only we take  time to examine ourselves, then we shall be learning what we need to know to correct the situation.

Consequently, these words of wisdom may come appropriately into the very fabric of every human activity:  to err is  human, to forgive, divine. –Ruffy Magbanua, director, Cagayan de Oro Press Club. E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com