Well, That Was Supposed to Go Out Today

Good morning.

If yesterday’s newsletter arrived in your inbox and you thought, Well, Julie is certainly getting an early start on Monday…

Nope.

I made a mistake.

That newsletter was supposed to go out today.

Apparently, somewhere between writing it, scheduling it, checking it, changing something, checking it again, and feeling quite pleased with myself for being so organized, I managed to send the Monday newsletter on Sunday.

Which raises an interesting question:

What do we do when we make a mistake that other people can actually see?

There are several options.

We can pretend it didn’t happen.

This is an underrated strategy, particularly when there is at least a 40 percent chance nobody noticed.

We can wait to see whether anyone mentions it.

This is the adult equivalent of breaking something as a child and quietly leaving the room.

We can develop an elaborate explanation involving technology, confusing buttons, software updates, daylight saving time, Mercury in retrograde, or possibly Russian hackers.

Or…

We can just say:

Yep. That was me. I screwed up.

I’m increasingly fond of that last option.

One of the unexpected benefits of getting older is that I have considerably less interest in maintaining the illusion that I have everything completely under control.

I don’t.

Neither do you.

Neither does the person who looks incredibly organized on Instagram.

Neither does the woman whose kitchen counters are always clear.

Neither does the man who has never once accidentally replied all.

We are all wandering around trying to remember passwords, appointments, where we put our glasses, why we walked into the kitchen, and whether we actually hit “schedule” or “send.”

Sometimes we get it wrong.

And most of the time, the world keeps spinning.

I think we waste an enormous amount of energy trying to hide perfectly ordinary human mistakes.

Maybe we think admitting them makes us look incompetent.

But I’m beginning to think the opposite is true.

There is something wonderfully freeing about saying, “Well, that didn’t go according to plan.”

No lengthy defense.

No elaborate excuse.

No pretending it was intentional.

Just acknowledgment, perhaps a little laughter, and onward we go.

So yesterday you received today’s newsletter.

And today you are receiving the newsletter I wrote because yesterday you received today’s newsletter.

If that sentence makes perfect sense to you, congratulations. You may be qualified to run my editorial calendar.

And if you happen to make a mistake today—send the wrong email, forget an appointment, burn the toast, call someone by the wrong name, leave the house wearing two different earrings, or spend ten minutes looking for the phone that is currently in your hand—I have a suggestion.

Own it.

Laugh if you can.

Fix it if it needs fixing.

Apologize if someone was hurt.

And then move on.

Life is much too interesting to spend it pretending we never mess up.

Besides, tomorrow is another day.

And assuming I click the correct button, you won’t hear from me again until you’re supposed to.

Probably.

Thank you, as always, for reading—and apparently for being flexible about my publishing schedule.

If this made you smile, please share it with someone who could use a little permission to be imperfect today. And if someone shared this with you, I’d love to welcome you as a subscriber.

Have a wonderful Monday.

Julie Bolejack, MBA

The Absentminded Activist

Subscribe at: julies-journal.ghost.io