Second chances and lessons learned

One thing that I have been dealing with a lot in my job is failing at something. Screwing up is a big part of the learning process and I am doing a lot of it.

Last night, because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, I knocked off a shot glass and it broke. While I was assured by several coworkers that it's a common occurrence, I still felt really bad; as it was the first (and hopefully last) thing that I have broken. I have also botched drinks and gotten orders screwed up and countless times I've just been in the way. But with each mistake I make, it's one more lesson that I've learned.

I've discovered that all it really takes is for me to screw up big time just once before the lesson is completely learned and I don't make the same mistake twice. If I fall really hard, I pick myself up and make sure that I don't do it again. This applies not only to my new job, but also to life in general. If I blow it big time, I won't ever do it again. All it takes is once. With each failure is one more step to succeeding.

Some mistakes I have made are huge. I am but a human and my flaws are great. I've said things that I didn't mean and meant to say things and didn't. With my words I have started fights and with my silence I have hurt others. I don't always think about what I'm doing when I'm doing it and when that happens I usually blow it. And I blame no one else but myself. When I fail, I own up to it.

This is also why I am a big believer in giving as many second chances as possible. I forgive easily and I forget even easier. I feel like every one should be allowed to speak their peace, no matter how harsh the words might be. It's often the words that aren't spoken that mean more than the words that do. While you may have lost my trust once, it doesn't mean that you've lost it forever. Anger subsides to regret, and regret brings about the possibility for forgiveness. Anger doesn't last forever, so why should grudges and hard feelings? We all have needed a second chance at least once in our lives, so why not give second chances?

Trust is very important to me. There have been people in the past who have done something to, at the time, I felt like I could never trust them again. It wasn't until I gave them the second chance that they deserved did they earn my trust back. I have lost friends and regained them on more than one occasion. This is the other reason why I am a big believer in second chances. I would have a lot less friends if I never gave anyone a second chance and even less if they never gave me one. Failure is part of learning.

Time is the biggest healer of them all, I have found. With time and some space, a lot can be accomplished. From past experiences, I have found that time often softens blows that really hurt when you received them. I am more likely to forgive someone if I've had time to sleep on it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I will let you enjoy the rest of your day. But I hope and pray that you take my words to heart. Second chances are worth more than gold to me and time more than all the riches in the world. Because after you're dead and gone, all the fights and arguments mean nothing in the end. Only the hurt and loss remains.