by Bernie Siegal M.D.: Misdirections can be a blessing. If you start off by going the wrong way and meet someone you have been looking for,
you end up happy about your mistake.
A contractor I know was hired to pave a driveway in a neighborhood where he’d never worked before. He paved the drive and then knocked on the door to ask for payment. A woman he’d never seen before came to the door, and after a few moments of confusion the contractor realized he had paved the wrong driveway. The woman said her driveway had needed paving and offered to pay him something, but the contractor refused any payment. He told her that he had misread the mailbox, it was his error and that was that. He moved his equipment next door and went to work on the correct driveway.
What do you think the neighbors thought when they heard about the contractor who paved the wrong driveway and refused any payment? Did they think he was inept? That they wouldn’t want someone who couldn’t find the right address working for them?
No, the neighbors all talked about how nice he was and everyone in the neighborhood who needed their driveway paved hired him. He had more business because of his mistake and kindness than from advertising.
Don’t let mistakes discourage you. A mistake is an opportunity to show you have heart. Be willing to say you are sorry. If you follow up your mistakes by doing the right thing, without making excuses, you show everyone you care about them and are responsible and trustworthy.
