(1:11) 1. Own up
Come forward quickly and own up to your mistake. Don't wait for someone else to point it out. This will only compound the problem and can damage your reputation. We all make mistakes and fail, so the defining moment is what you do next. Stepping forward shows you have integrity and the confidence to make it right. Ken Robinson stated, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
(0:59) 2. Don’t make excuses
Those impacted by your failure deserve an explanation. Convincing them that you understand what happen will help build confidence that you can move forward positively. Avoid making excuses. It will only diminish you. Simply stick to the pertinent facts. Denis Waitley said, "Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”
(0:48) 3. Make a plan
Once you understand what went wrong, take that knowledge and use it to create a plan for moving forward. Let boaters know what you have already done and what you plan to do to improve. Include how you will stop the same problems from arising in the future. This shows you have taken your failure and used it to become better. Henry Ford noted, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
(0:36) 4. Look forward
It is easy after one has suffered a failure to retreat and avoid putting yourself out there again. Successful people jump back in armed with the lessons they have learned. True failure is giving up and never trying something new. Robert F. Kennedy stated, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
(0:27) 5. Stay Positive
People who believe that a failure is an event and not who they are will be more likely to take the next move towards success. They will have a more positive outlook on future endeavors. Coco Chanel noted, “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
(0:18) 6. Don't Give up
Now take your lessons learned and your positive attitude and use them to move on to your next task. Successful people do not give up but rather keep their eyes on the goal. Winston Churchill said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
(0:10) Next time you stumble or events do not turn out as you planned, don't give up. Instead remember, you can't succeed without failure. I think Winston Churchill says it well, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
