Dealing With Mistakes That Other People Make

Have you ever made a mistake? Most of us (if not all) make them. And we’ll continue to make them.
 
In this post, GenuLines looks at ways to react to other people’s mistakes.
 
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Dealing With Mistakes That Other People Make 

 
eraser for mistakesSometimes people make mistakes that will put you in a tough spot. Let’s say, for instance, you own a company.
 
One of your workers mistakenly misrepresented the company and you’re getting blamed. Your first reaction may be to fire the person.
 
In some cases, that would be the right move.
 
 
 
But did the person have the necessary knowledge to keep from misinforming others? If not, you need to bake that into the situation.
 
If the misstep was deliberate, that’s different.
 
In this case, you’re within your rights to let them go. But be sure the action was malicious.
 
There are no easy answers when people make major mistakes. They may not be able to make it right, either.
 
You’ll be left to deal with the consequences.
 
It’s easy to lash out at the person responsible. Of course, you should give them the opportunity to rectify it if they can.
 
One way to deal with other people’s mistakes is to reflect on your own mistakes. This way, you can empathize with them.
 
Empathy makes you less likely to lash out and make the wrong decisions.
 
Then there are situations where people make the same mistakes again and again. The errors keep showing up even when you give guidance on how not to make them.
 
This is a tough one.
 
The actions are not malicious but there’s no capacity to change. In these situations, you need to decide whether the mistakes are having a serious impact.
 
Repeated errors add up. But remember, forgiving mistakes can breed appreciation. 
 
It can help people grow.
 
And you’ll feel good knowing they’ve used the situation to their advantage.
 
JohnK 3-26-2019
 
 
stick figure talks mistakesOverheard: “We must not say every mistake is a foolish one”
~Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC)
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Your Routine: Good, Bad, or In Need of a Tuneup?

We’re talking routine today. If yours is working for you, way to go!
 
If not, GenuLines is here to help you power up your routine 
 
 
call for a routine
 

Your Routine: Good, Bad, or In Need of a Tuneup?

Routines are neither good nor bad. It all depends on the context by which you apply them.
 
symbol for routineIf your routines are making you crazy, or have you in a rut, it may be time for you to break away from them, at least temporarily. Then again, if you don’t have some structure in your life, routines may be what you need.
 
If you’re feeling like you’re in a rut, consider going on a vacation. This can be a great way to reset the ordinary.
 
 
It can also lead to meeting new people or opening up opportunities. How many stories have you heard of people going on vacation and falling in love with the place they visited?
 
But keep in mind that making the new place your home can result in still more routine. Another way to shake things up is to join a club that you wouldn’t otherwise join.
 
For instance, if you never tried a certain type of craft, join a local club where you can learn all about that craft. Or, join a group that plays music together.
 
You may have to learn an instrument or try out with the group as the singer. No matter what the activity, try doing it in a different way.
 
If your life is a bit unstructured, and this isn’t working for you, try to introduce some routine into your days. This could be as simple as creating a to-do list.
 
And you might want to find someone who can hold you accountable to the routine. People form accountability partnerships for this purpose.
 
You can hold your partner accountable for reaching their outcomes.
 
Many people find having a mix of routine and spontaneity works best for them. Doing something spontaneous helps to break up the routine before the people get into a rut.
 
Getting back to those routines after taking a break will restore order in their lives. This isn’t necessarily the way everyone will work best, though it’s worth a try.
 
Make sure you give yourself some time before writing this off.
 
Only you can decide whether you need to incorporate a routine or if you have too much routine in your life.
 
Remember, you’re the only one who can determine if you need to do a mix of routine and spontaneous action.
 
JohnK 3-19-2019
 
 
 
stick figure shows routineOverheard: “It’s a hard thing to leave any deeply routine life, even if you hate it”
                                 ~John Steinbeck
 

 

 

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Action Steps For When You Don’t Trust Yourself

 
Many people don’t trust themselves for one reason or another. If you include yourself in this group ask yourself why.
 
Today GenuLines helps you break the issue down and begin to change. Once you discover the problem, you will be well on your way to learning how to trust yourself.
 
Call to trust yourself
 

Action Steps For When You Don’t Trust Yourself

 
Start with your childhood. No, this doesn’t mean you have to spill your guts to a shrink while lying on a couch.
 
Baby learns to trustThose early years can give you some clues into why you don’t trust yourself. Could be your parents were distrustful of themselves.
 
Siblings or other relatives might play a part. The purpose isn’t to blame them.
 
 
Recognize that it happened and use it to move forward.
 
Not trusting others can be habitual. It isn’t too much of a stretch for that mode to extend to you.
 
Start putting trust in other people and they’ll likely appreciate you for it.
 
Are you an overly sensitive person? If so, this could cause you to be mistrustful of yourself.
 
A sensitive nature can cause you to take others’ remarks out of context.
 
It’s not wrong to be sensitive. You only have to realize that it can cause you to misread what others are saying or feeling.
 
When trust doesn’t work
Putting your trust in others is going to backfire sometimes. Some people aren’t trustworthy.
 
They may even put on a front that they are. You should accept this as a part of life, and try not to project experiences from a few onto other people.
 
Otherwise, you are going to continue to maintain your wall.
This wall will make it difficult for you to trust others as well as yourself.
 
Another reason for not trusting yourself is that others don’t trust you. If you are not trustworthy, how can you expect to trust yourself?
 
You may not even realize this is happening.
 
You may think you are doing right by others when in fact, you aren’t. Ask friends and family to assess whether you’re trustworthy.
 
That can be a hard pill to swallow, but you’ll get great insight. Try not to get upset if people tell you that you aren’t trustworthy.
 
It’s a learning experience.
 
JohnK 3-12-2019
 
 
stick figure shows trustOverheard: ” Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow”
~Horace
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Self-Doubt And What You Can Do About It

Have you ever wrestled with self-doubt? That might seem like a silly question.
 
Most people doubt themselves at some point in their lives. Scroll down for some good words from GenuLines on dealing with self-doubt.
 
Call to self-doubt action
 

Self-Doubt And What You Can Do About It

 
Why do people engage in self-doubt? The reason is that it’s easier to doubt yourself than it is to believe that something is possible.
 
ape with self-doubtYou may believe in your concept, but it’s something that hasn’t materialized yet. It’s unfamiliar territory for you.
 
Our protection mechanisms tell us to reach for something that’s familiar. We use this as a reason to quit.
 
The unknown also helps us to come up with excuses. It’s easy to say it won’t work because, and then insert whatever reason can set your mind at ease.
 
 
You can even find help from others in coming up with excuses. They have plenty of them for you to choose from.
 
If they didn’t, they would be succeeding at their goals.
 
A survival mechanism
Sometimes self-doubt can help us survive. For instance, someone tells you that you can jump off a cliff and survive.
 
Your self-doubt probably jumps in and tells you this is a bad idea. Self-doubt can sometimes keep you from making bad financial decisions.
 
This might be an opportunity that sounds too good to be true.
 
In most cases, self-doubt is not something that will advance your life. It will hold you back, and you need always to be aware of that.
 
Don’t take the easy way out. Do prepare yourself as much as possible for unfamiliar situations.
 
But, go forward with a strong belief that you can complete what you set out to do.
 
Try to structure your life so that you have more positive than negative energy. Flush out as much negative energy as possible.
 
Use affirmations, support groups, or whatever works for you.
 
Negative energy is what self-doubt is all about. Two forces are opposing each other.
 
If you have 100% negative energy that means you have 0% positive energy. Try to tip the scale toward as much positivity as possible and push away the negativity.
 
No shortage of negative energy
It’s unlikely that you can ever have 100% positive energy. But, you can work towards exposing yourself to positive energy.
 
You can stop listening to or reading the news, and you can reduce your exposure to negative people. Positive people do exist.
 
You just need to find them.
 
JohnK 3-5-2019
 
 
 
stickman with self-doubtOverheard: “Every time I start a picture I feel the same fear, the same self-doubts, and I have only one source on which I can draw. Because it comes from within me”
                                                  ~ Federico Fellini
 
 
 
Photo by Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash
 
 
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Appreciate The Small Things and Find Contentment

Appreciate the small stuff and you’ll be happy. You hear it enough.

But what is happiness anyway?

Today GenuLines looks at appreciation and its “kissin’ cousin”, contentment.

 

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Appreciate The Small Things and Find Contentment

smile to appreciateMost emotions are transitional, meaning you’re never in one state for long periods. People who are considered upbeat will have moments of sadness or depression.

Even depressed people aren’t depressed all the time. They have moments of happiness, too.

 

Think about a major event such as a war. When two countries are fighting, both sides lose lives.

It’s bloody, and it can last for years. But, when the war is over, the countries are euphoric.

There will be no more bloodshed because of the war, and people can return to their homes. But, nothing that has changed in the world except that the war has ended.

In other words, the sun still sets each day. People still have to manage their lives.

The euphoria from the war ending doesn’t last long. Months later, the war is still over, but the euphoria has died down.

Same goes for sickness

The same is true in a smaller way when you have a bad sickness. For instance, suppose you have a stomach bug that leaves you uncomfortable and in pain.

When the bug passes you feel fine. But you don’t feel any better than you did when you weren’t experiencing the bug.

It’s relative to the bad feelings. That’s how emotional states work.

They go from one to the other on a constant basis.

Appreciating the small things in life may lead to happiness. But, it’s likely you’re content more than you are happy.

Contentment can almost be thought of as a neutral state, leaning toward the happy side. There’s nothing wrong when you’re content.

But, there also isn’t anything that is making you overly happy.

Striving for happiness can be stressful. You might want to shoot for contentment instead.

Contentment is likely to find you when you appreciate small aspects of your life.

And it comes without the hassle of working hard toward happiness.

If you spend most of your life being content you’re doing something right. Think about all the people you love and what you have, such as your health and a good job, etc.

If you try to imagine life without them, you will truly appreciate your contentment. That thought may even make you happy for a short period.

JohnK 2-26-2019
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stick figure shows can appreciateOverheard: “My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy”
                         ~William Shakespeare

 

 

 

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Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

Successful People And Their Lessons In Adversity

Successful people deal with adversity. It’s true.

fish being successfulRead the stories or profiles of most successful people. You’ll be surprised at just how adverse many of their situations were.

They often tell the stories for others to learn and to use to overcome adversity. I read those types of stories to help me with GenuLines posts.

Here are some suggestions for you to do the same.

 

 

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Profiles of successful people

These contain gems of information and can act as a resource for everyone else. The story is one aspect of reading about them.

But how they dealt with their situations is often a source of inspiration. When you become inspired, you increase your chances of effective problem-solving.

Inspiration doesn’t last forever, unfortunately. You need to reinforce the message.

If you can, try to set aside time to read one story of a successful person every month. This will help you feel inspired.

And it will give you ideas on how to use the stories to make your life better.

Some people’s stories are dated
But their techniques may be timeless. A perfect example of this is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.

The stories themselves describe people and occupations of days long gone. But, his techniques are as valid today as they were back then.

You can read all about the stories of successful people and get inspired. But, if you don’t take action, it will be of little help to you.

At that point, you become nothing more than a dreamer. Having dreams is good, but you need to make sure you take action on those dreams.

Common ground
Reading the stories of successful people often shows that they’re just like the rest of us. There isn’t anything superhuman about them that led them to their successes.

You’ll find a common theme among those facing adversity. They had persistence and kept a positive attitude.

Those two attributes will take you far when facing any situation.

Finding successful
You can choose to read stories online or find material in your local library. You can also choose to find stories on the internet.

Be careful of the resources you find online. Anyone can publish whatever they like while sounding convincing and authoritative.

Check the resources. And keep a critical eye out for people who don’t present qualified information.

Get into the habit of reading about successful people. You’ll shift to a successful mindset yourself.

And you’ll have a memory bank of stories to draw inspiration.

JohnK 2-18-2019
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stick figure shows successOverheard: “A minute’s success pays the failure of years”
                               ~Robert Browning

 

 

 

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Routine Could Be Just What Your Life Needs

routine of people

 

Riddle: When is routine not so routine? Answer: When it boosts your creativity.

For example, you can add routines to your life to make sure you’re completing your tasks. But you’ll need some structure to complete those tasks.

 

GenuLines has some guidelines to help you make that happen.

 

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Routine Could Be Just What Your Life Needs

Start by defining which routines you want to map out for yourself. You could do this for your personal goals and work goals.

You can list all the tasks you currently need to do and decide which of those would need a routine.

A simple example would be to do an oil change on your car:

  • The first step is to schedule it for every three months on your calendar.
  • Then, you could map out a plan on how you’ll complete the task.
  • First, you’ll need to buy the supplies, like oil, filters, etc. You’ll also need to jack up the car or put it on jack stands.
  • Then, you will drain the old oil from the car, replace the filter, and add the new oil. The last step is to check the oil dipstick to make sure the levels are good.

More steps you can take
You can automate some tasks via computer. If you’re capable of doing this yourself, then proceed.

If you need to hire a computer programmer, you may be able to find one on freelance websites. It’s not as expensive as you might think.

You do want to make sure you create a complete specification. That can be a challenge if you’ve never done it before.

Always have a backup plan for any automated procedures. Some people get dependent on automation to the point where they don’t know what to do when the routines fail.

Write down how to do manual procedures in the event you need to get the job completed by a certain time. Trying to find a programmer to fix the problem is not easy and may cost you a lot of money.

When it’s all up to you
What if you have to perform routines which are not automated. You’ll need the discipline to complete them.

Schedule time on your calendar as a reminder. It’s easy to let these tasks go.

Especially if they’re ones you are not thrilled to do in the first place.

JohnK 2-12-2019
chiforyourself.com home

 

stick figure finds routineOverheard: “The only routine with me is no routine at all”
~ Jackie Kennedy

 

 

 

 

Photo by Anelale Nájera on Unsplash

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Relationship Fulfillment: Even With The Differences

 

Relationship expertHealthy, happy relationships are possible even when both parties don’t see eye to eye. Our guest today on Chi For Yourself is James L. Creighton, author of Loving Through Your Differences: Building Strong Relationships From Separate Realities.

 

 

The interview starts at 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific time at ChiForYourself.com

 

JohnK 2-7-2019

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Being a Perfectionist May Be a Sign of Low Self Trust

 
 
Are you a perfectionist? If so, your expectations may be set too high. GenuLines takes a look at this tendency, flaws and all.
 
 
So you’re a perfectionist
target for perfectionistIt’s natural to want everything to be perfect. The trouble is there’s no time for it.
 
You’ll be disappointed to find that most people aren’t perfectionists.
You need to learn how to manage expectations.
 
 
 
It’s a delicate balance, and you have to know when you’ve done as much as you should. You can always do more, but you need to move on.
 
You snooze you lose
Another problem with perfectionism is that you may miss opportunities. Suppose you decide to hold off releasing a product because you want to put more features into it.
 
You delay the release of the product by several months. But you see that your competitors are finished releasing their versions.
 
The product you would have released was better than your competitors. Customers would have likely bought your products over your competitors.
 
Try explaining that one to management or shareholders!
 
Spreading the news
Good customer experiences with products get shared with friends and family. This sharing also occurs on social media channels, which in turn, can go viral.
 
It’s more challenging to build up a product that’s not yet released than it is to build up one that is.
 
When perfectionism is okay
There are cases that call for perfectionism. Medical techniques and technologies come to mind.
 
In most other fields, though, perfectionism will hold you back. It’s not necessary, and it only leads to frustration and delays.
 
Of course, you should never release products that have a sloppy design. Or are dangerous to the consumer.
 
That’s where this delicate balance comes into play. The product needs to meet safety guidelines.
 
Your reputation is at stake, and you don’t want customers bashing your product or your brand. In this case, it may be necessary to delay the release of products until they are safe, etc.
 
In self we trust
How is being a perfectionist a sign that you don’t trust yourself? You think that nothing is ever good enough and that you have to keep striving to be better.
 
When you trust yourself, you can reel in expectations to manageable levels.
 
JohnK 2-4-2019
 
 
perfectionist stick figure
 

Overheard: “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content”

                             ~ Leo Tolstoy   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Why It’s Important to Believe in Yourself

You’ll see it when you believe it. Believe and achieve. I believe in you.

We all love a snappy belief slogan. But when it comes to self-belief things can get a bit trickier.

GenuLines reminds you that believing in yourself is the ultimate belief.

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Believe In Yourself- Even By Yourself

boy reaching to believe

You hear about how you have to believe in yourself. Ever wonder exactly why?

The simple answer is that practically no one else will. Your spouse and your family will believe in you to a certain extent.

But, when times get tough, family support tends to wane. It’s not that they don’t love and care about you.

They just stopped believing in you.


While this doesn’t always happen, it happens often enough to cause conflict.

For example, your spouse or parents might at first give you support on a new venture. But the venture doesn’t work out as they believe it should.

So they start to question whether you should continue with it. If your belief starts to weaken, you may take on their way of thinking.

The Only Thing To Fear

The reason beliefs start to weaken is due to a fear of the unknown. When you start a new venture, everyone is excited for you and will tell you to give it your best shot.

But when the prospects of the business become murkier, that excitement turns to fear.

The problem is the path towards success for these ventures is not a straight line up. Having some bumps in the road is normal.

In fact, this is what defines the success of the enterprise, and the people who are taking risks. It should be welcomed and not feared.

The fear of the unknown may start to creep into your psyche. It’s easier to listen to your family and friends tell you to dissolve your venture because it’s failing.

They will continue down this negative path until you decide to stop. If you do choose to give up on your business, they will tell you that it wasn’t meant to be.

They’ll remind you that starting a business is difficult. That’s precisely the moment that you shouldn’t stop.

Don’t Stop Believing

You don’t get ahead by quitting. If you believe in yourself, you would have had the conviction to see it through.

You would have the appropriate guidance to give you strength to surge ahead. You could have done it all while telling your family and friends to have some faith.

A firm belief in yourself would give you the courage to stand up to them.
Whatever venture you decide to pursue, know that only by continuing will you make it work.

Think of Thomas Edison and the lightbulb. While he didn’t invent the lightbulb (contrary to popular belief), he made ones that lasted longer.

Imagine if he decided to quit after he ran into a few stumbling blocks early on.

JohnK 1-29-2019
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