I recently found out I made a mistake in my work. It wasn't a major one, but it will cost me a little bit of money and time to correct. At this point in my life the small amount of money and time is not a big deal. The fact that it was a simple mistake bugs the shit out of me.

Don't get me wrong, I make my share of mistakes. I usually figure them out and correct them on my own. This mistake was brought to my attention by a company I work with, so maybe it's professional embarrassment that makes it sting.

I let it roll around in my head for several days which was really unnecessary because the fix was simple. The fact that I made it in the first place is what really bothers me. I remember when I looked at this project. I hesitated a bit when I saw the schematics. That's when the trouble began. I made many assumptions about the company that provided the schematics, previous jobs, and the other contractors involved.

With the schematics, I just figured they were wrong. This based on the several previous jobs that were slightly different and that some of the other very basic info (street address) on the drawing set was wrong. Then I underestimated the other contractors involved. They had made some mistakes and done some shoddy work in the past, so when I saw part of the install that should have been a clue, I dismissed it as a mistake on their part.

When my mistake was brought to my attention, my initial reaction was that someone else was mistaken or was misinterpreting the schematics. Blame others right? I guess that's a normal first reaction, but one I hate to admit to. I soon figured out that it was all me. I then figured out how to fix the problem. Not a big deal.

Looking back at this I realize all the steps, rather missteps, that I made. I think it boils down to over confidence and heuristics. I have 30 plus years of experience with this. There are certain rules that just become embedded. So when working through this project, at a fast pace, with several other jobs happening, I let experience take over instead of giving focus to this job.

I've gotten much better at forgiving myself and letting the small things go, and it has made life better. A lot of the stress and worry I used to put myself through was really wasted energy. I guess that mistakes will always happen. No amount of experience will eliminate them. In fact, experience might contribute to them. I think learning from them is the best possible outcome.