Recently, I made a “career“/work mistake. As in, I slipped up a little bit. And it had been a while since I’ve slipped up like this.
Without getting into the details too much, I missed an important meeting. A meeting that was the culmination of prior effort, meetings, and luck. And one that arguably could’ve been life-changing if it had gone well.
I didn’t oversleep or treat it as not important, though. I, in fact, spent the entire day prepping for this meeting, only to get the time wrong. I use the bathroom, then get out, only to realize I missed it. I then email the person, trying to claw my way back to a follow-up, but not exactly the best look.
However, I wasn’t too pressed afterwards, though. I felt okay knowing that in the grand scheme of things, this will be nothing but a small hiccup and will not matter when I’m on my deathbed.
Despite knowing the insignificance in the long term, it still left a sour taste in my mouth.
It seems there are two kinds of mistakes. One you make when you didn’t know it was one. And one you make when you know better. The latter feels a bit worse.
Regardless, I know there’s no point in dwelling on this. Opportunities come and go. And this is something minor in the long-term vision. It felt like a rare and exciting opportunity to have this meeting at the time, but I know the world works itself out in mysterious ways.
And plus, the main point I want to get at is how much of a luxury it is to feel this type of way towards this type of problem. And how much of a luxury it is to be worried about a career.
Yeah, it sucks, but it’s another reminder to be grateful for where you’re at.
Right now, is a crazy time for the world with all the geopolitical tensions and war going on. There are many people who do not have the luxury of thinking about career and career mistakes. To have an opportunity to have a career is a luxury in itself.
Even a generation back, my family didn’t have the luxury of thinking about these things. I’m grateful for all the sacrifices it took to get here.
I have a roof over my head. I have access to 3 meals a day. I have friends and family who are alive and well.
I am grateful to have things to be grateful for.
One of them being a silly little mistake in missing a meeting.