Here's why I am not afraid to make mistakes

What are the most difficult 4 words in the English language for people to say? “That’s enough cheese, thanks”? “Going to the gym”? I would vote for “I made a mistake”.?

Why are people so scared of mistakes??

Mistakes from the past are like a little monster that lives in our heads. Every time it gets a chance to peek through the veil of self-confidence, it whispers to us, bringing embarrassment and fear of failure. This fear is the main reason people are scared to make errors and push themselves to be perfect in everything.?

Fear of failure may also become a cause for something else — a state where one is so scared, they choose to do nothing. After all, this is the best way to escape any mistakes. This is also the best way to rust-out, stop in one’s development, and create no mark or legacy. Which is, on its own, is a mistake. Oh, the irony!

I don’t mind admitting that I have made some wrong choices during my career. After all, I have been a CEO and a Managing Partner since I was 24, so it would be a miracle if me or my team had made no wrong choices along our way. But I didn’t fear them. And here’s why.?

Mistakes are a normal part of life

Not making any errors ever is impossible. Whether it’s walking, writing, learning a new language, or starting a new career — they are unavoidable. It is a part of learning. And there is nothing wrong about it for both individual people and even whole teams.?

When SupportYourApp started to actively grow, we looked into multiple new directions, countries, and languages to expand into. And we decided to expand to the Philippines. It seems like one of the surest destinations for us. The decision turned out to be a mistake because the market there was already filled with tons of offers by other outsourcing companies. At that time, we got lost in the shuffle, which didn’t suit our needs to grow. Plus, we were getting worried about the safety of our potential team members — the Philippines, like lots of island countries, are known for frequent natural disasters. So we promptly decided against expanding there because retaining service stability and being available to our clients’ customers 24/7 is and has been our priority since the very beginning. The decision not to expand there has led our team in a new direction — towards discovering almost unlimited potential in previously-untapped countries and markets — across South America, Asia, Africa, and other regions. Today, we have 8 international hubs and over 2000 professionals from 80 countries on our team.?

Could we have grown without this experience? Of course, we could and would. But it would have taken us a bit more time, and we could have missed the window of growth opportunities. In a way, I am grateful this happened. Now that’s something I didn’t think I would ever write.

It is impossible to know if a mistake is made

When I was still in the beginning of my career, I was going to an expo and decided to meet a potential client representative, who was also going to attend it. At the agreed-upon time, I arrived at the agreed-upon spot, where a man — I’ll call him Kevin — had been waiting. I greeted Kevin and started making small talk. During our conversation, it became apparent he was not the POC I had planned to meet. He was in fact a man with the same name, who had arranged to meet his potential business partner at the same time and at the same place. We laughed, exchanged our goodbyes, and went on to our respective meetings. When I met Kevin, I told him this story, which became a good icebreaker for our meeting.?

This case taught me that making a mistake is not always apparent. It can often be recognized only by its fallout. What’s important to remember here is not to get discouraged and embarrassed and take everything lightly. After all, if a wrong choice is already made, there is no way to unmake it. These are usually the times I wish real life had a safe-and-load function like in video games. As it is impossible, it is easier to embrace our faux-pas and learn from them.?

Speaking of…

I treat mistakes as my teachers

As tired as it may sound, I use every error I make to learn new things. For me, they are a great tool not only to gain new knowledge but to reflect and find out something new about myself.?

Among other things, wrong choices taught me how to think fast, find answers on the spot, be in the spotlight, and deal with the potential feeling of embarrassment that often accompanies mistakes and minor failures. They have also taught me to adopt a philosophical approach to work, life, collaboration, and productivity — if errors are inescapable, there is no point in wasting resources on avoiding them. It is better to direct the effort into actively learning and acquiring new skills and knowledge.?