Oh if you would have asked me this question in my younger days and in my early adulthood it probably would’ve made me cry just thinking about it.
I mean who likes to be corrected? We all want to know our stuff and do it well without anyone having to tell us
You’re doing it wrong!
It doesn’t feel good and can be a shameful feeling when being corrected. One can even say it is quite an embarrassment being called out and made aware of a mistake or told an action or job needs to be corrected and done right. 😬🫣
During my elementary years I was as studious as studious does. I have always been a rule follower and never wanted to get on my teacher’s bad side. I worked hard never to get my name written on the board as a warning from a result of bad behavior.
I remember this particular day in my fifth grade class like it was yesterday. I was being the class clown making my friends laugh and was on a roll. I knew I needed to be quiet but I was having too much fun and I saw how much my classmates were being entertained.
I think at the back of my mind I felt even though I was acting out this one time that the teacher wouldn’t put my name on the board because it was just that one time. I guess I thought I had a pass since my track record of behavior was excellent.
Oh my was I wrong.
When I saw my name going up on that board time stopped. I didn’t hear any more laughter, I didn’t see anyone else in that classroom and sweat came tumbling down my back. It was just me, the teacher and the movement of her hand in slow motion. I couldn’t believe I crossed over…to the bad side.
I was devastated, humiliated and embarrassed of what I had done. My classmates couldn’t believe they saw my name up there but of course many of them laughed because I was known as a teacher’s pet back then 🙄. I cried as soon as I reached the front porch of my home (had to make sure the bus was gone and none of my friends saw me crying).
Even though I was disappointed in myself that day helped me realize that it just takes one time to make a mistake and be corrected. Just because you do well in a certain area and do everything to a T most times it doesn’t mean there is never any room for correction.
The next day my teacher spoke with me about what happened and how she knew I was out of character. She helped me see that fitting in with the rest of the crowd or making people laugh is not worth ruining my reputation and the respect I had from my teachers for following the rules and being studious.
Of course I was still bummed but that correction got me back on track and I never got my name put on that board again. 😌
Let’s say for instance you work at a hotdog stand and your boss pulled you to the side. He tells you that you are not cooking the hotdogs with a finished crisp the way the customers like. There are several things you can do with that…
Options that will cause you to be out of a job:
• You can get upset and offended and walk out because you don’t feel appreciated.
• You can argue and defend yourself by disagreeing with what he is saying.
• You can keep doing the hotdogs the way you want and not care about correcting your mistake.
Options that would end in a better outcome:
• You can take note on the way your boss approached you…gentle and on the side.
• You can realize that he must want to keep you there or else he wouldn’t bother correcting you.
• You can realize you’re not perfect and there is always room for improving.
Look at all those aspects. The one who doesn’t take correction well could possibly lose their job. If we take the time to consider all angles we would realize there are many reasonable people still in the world today.
If someone doesn’t want you around or doesn’t want you to continue a task then most likely there would be no correction. That person wouldn’t take the time to point out your flaws and what you could improve on to do better. They could just say goodbye we no longer need you here.
This is how I see my life…yes as a pencil.
For so long I worked so hard to not ever be corrected. I didn’t want to feel low or bad for any mistakes so I dipped and dodged any type of correction by doing my best.
As the years went on I realized even when trying my hardest there’s gonna be room for improvement on my part. I didn’t know everything and some things I had to learn the hard way.
Now in my forties I realize that whenever I am corrected I come out much sharper than before. Correction is like putting someone through a sharpener to help shape and mold them to be better and wiser.
I welcome it as long as it’s done in a gentle and respectful way. If you were to come at me rude and careless then I probably wouldn’t even listen to you. Most times you can clearly see the difference between someone who cares about you vs. someone who just wants to put you down and point out your faults.
It took me years to get to this point but I am much tougher now and can take correction as bits and pieces of improvement that will only make me sharper than I was before.
All photos are my own. The cover photo was made with Canva.
