Ever since I heard the break up of this word, my mind is going on loops on this one.. Powerful the break up of the word is and the meaning thereon. Both the break up and the meaning made a comfortable paradigm shift in me.. Oxymoron this term is – comfortable paradigm shift!! A paradigm shift is many times uncomfortable, as it raises questions that are difficult to answer..

Comfortable for me this paradigm shift was, as it answered many questions that have been on my mind for a few years now. The focus of this blog is not on the questions that the break up of this word answered but the answers by itself!!

Enough of suspense of the word and the break up of it :-).. Without much further ado, here we go..

Mistake – Mis (s) take – you missed taking it this time.

You missed taking

  • an opportunity
  • a decision
  • an olive branch that was extended
  • a phone call
  • a relationship forward
  • etc., etc., etc

Is there a next time to all that you missed to take? Perhaps yes and perhaps no.

If there is a next time, then there is time and space to introspect on why you missed to take and that’s super good. There is the next time, when you can take

  • an opportunity that comes your way
  • a decision that you need to take
  • an olive branch extended
  • that phone call you missed to take the previous time
  • a relationship forward
  • etc., etc., etc.,

If there isn’t a next time, then there is no better luck next time!! But then, you never know whether there is a next time or there isn’t, until you reach the point of losing an offer, an opportunity that you considered big, a relationship or a person to the hands of death. And that’s when you call it a ‘costly mistake’.

What you missed to take isn’t costly, but the impact or the outcome of what you missed to take is costly. Why? Because to ensure that you don’t miss to take it the next time, the effort and time and resources you need may be far more. The thought of generating all that all over again, in whatever intensity and duration appears overwhelming and considered costly.

Perhaps this is where the proverb ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk’ comes in, I suppose. Just like milk that is spilt, cannot be of use again, what has been missed to be taken, isn’t available anymore. Crying may make you feel better but will not bring back what you missed to take.

The next take will not be the same and may or may not even be similar. You may have moved on and there is another opportunity, decision, olive branch, phone call or a relationship to take forward. It is yours to take and hopefully you don’t miss to take it the next time!! Perhaps this is what you were meant to take and what you missed to take the earlier time, was meant to be missed. At the right place in the right time!!

Indeed interesting how a word that is considered negative can be looked at in a positive light, lending that ray of hope for the morrow.

Courtesy – A learning from the Ninjutsu class