tolerating mistakes and misses

If you are going to compare high stakes environment, there is no place else but your work place. These days, transactions become more complex, value of transactions become bigger and accountability becomes more and more crucial. The burden placed on the employees and employers is becoming tremendously heavier. What you write down and sign off can and usually is used against you when a time comes when something really has gone wrong.

The environment has become so hostile that people are governed by fear in the workplace for everyone is so worried about taking of their own rice bowl. It's the scary truth about the workplace we all are absorbed in these days. It has drive things to the point where mistakes and misses are close to not tolerated and for those who make those mistakes are not let off without paying a painful price.

It's strange when three quarter's of the world is preaching about tolerance, the workplace is one where tolerance is hardly practiced, almost like everyday is a high stakes game of the Russian roulette.

"Tolerance isn't a gift, neither is it anything special, but it's the honest feeling in the heart of one person to forgive another for any shortcomings and you must first start with yourself,"

That was what an old friend always used to say whenever he was faced with some mistake of others or if something has gone wrong. He hardly every lost his temper or got upset about it. In fact, this person was my squash coach.

Playing squash competitively was never easy with so much pressure to perform so that you get selected for the state team and then get promoted to the national team. Training was tough and 90% of the time bordering painful physically and mentally. Most of the time training pushed us to the limit physically to the point that you feel like giving up. At least, to the point I felt like giving up.

During training, while trying to achieve the best possible shots and results, the tendency is to try to train for perfection. Funny thing is, how perfection can never be achieved and frustration sets in. There were many times when I broke many racquets during training out of frustration. It reached a point when my coach had to ground me from doing any more drills to prevent me from breaking more racquets.

I always remembered the time when he'd pep talk me during my times of extreme frustration.

"Before you can become perfect, you have to remove the thought about perfection and just go into the court to play your best squash. Playing your best squash isn't about hitting beautiful perfect shots but going into the court and really enjoy the squash you are playing. That's playing your best squash.

In any match you play, there is no way in hell you are never going to make an unforced error or miss shots simply because that's the nature of sports. Mistakes and misses are only natural. You've got to start tolerating mistakes and misses otherwise you are going to burn out very soon and start hating the very game you so love right now. You may not believe me but if you don't start tolerating your own faults and mistakes, someday you are going to find that it'll affect others in that you can't tolerate the mistakes of others.

Look at me for example. If I am going to worked up for every mistake you make in the court, I'll probably die of a heart attack training you.

Remember, the only way you can improve is if you start accepting your mistakes and instead of getting worked up about it, why not shift all that energy into calming yourself down and work on improving, You'll find that it's less tiring and more rewarding. Tolerance is key in this situation."