Have you ever felt like something you did was just plain stupid? Not wrong, or misguided, or hasty. Just dumb. Well, I had a “stupid moment” recently, and though the damage was relatively easy to rectify, the incident is still impressed on my mind (and probably will be for a while).

It’s probably been years since I’ve done something that was so plainly moronic. Maybe I’ve had too much time to build up false confidence in the college world. Not a lot can go wrong when writing up a 10 page paper on multicultural American poetry (or can it?). The worst thing that could happen while pursuing a degree in English would be plagiarizing, even unintentionally, and getting caught. Fortunately nothing like that ever happened while I attended the University of Minnesota. Apparently my writing style was too sophisticated while I was in high-school; at least twice I was asked, very seriously, if I had actually written an assignment. While that may be humorous, messing up in the “real world” of business is not so funny. I had to realize that again today. It’s easy to do things flawlessly when the only person at stake is yourself, but when you know that one mistake can cost headaches and losses for dozens (or more), suddenly every keystroke is loaded with tension.

I can’t get too hung up on my mistakes, or I’ll never have the courage to keep learning. I can however incorporate a more careful and conscious attitude into my work life. Focus is important. Attention to detail does matter. Someday I will make another big mistake. Mistakes are inevitable in all human affairs. It doesn’t have to be another “stupid moment” where I take my ability and knowledge for granted and ignore the obvious: I’m in the “real world” now.