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Hey reader
I have something to confess.
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I've made a lot of mistakes. Especially over the last few weeks. The last useletter went out with the wrong title - I had changed it but somehow it reverted and I didn't notice. D'oh! This useletter should have gone out last week, but I forgot! Oops! My marketing plans have fallen in a heap. Argh! To name a few.
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The story I'm telling myself is that while I've had (a mild case of) Covid and it's school holidays I really should have done much much better. It's accusatory, not excusatory (if that's a word, which I just checked, and apparently it is). I've been beating myself up despite a reasonable alibi. Well, at least, I was.
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The thing is, sometimes life gets in the way. Stuff doesn't go to plan. Mistakes get made. Sometimes, you need to give yourself permission for the fallibility of it all. The trick is how you react to it all. It's a choice. You can choose to see it as a gift or as a burden and point of shame, where a negative spiral is just a step away.
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I'm choosing to take the gift and here's one for you too.
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the fascination of mistakes
Life is too chaotic and challenging to add unconstructive criticism as another burden. We can berate ourselves (or others) for a mistake, or we can choose to find the levity and learning in it, like Benjamin Zander does.
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Benjamin Zander is an author, teacher and conductor (I highly recommend The Art of Possibility). Conducting is stressful and the mistakes come from both sides of the baton. Yet instead of chastising himself, or others, he would throw his arms in the air and yell,
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Taking time to then consider what might be learnt from the mistake. This flips the script from one of accusation, fight or flight, to one of curiosity, engagement and openness. It relieves stress by bringing humour to the situation and a level of control. From here you can find the gift in it and something useful from the mistake.
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It's an approach to intercede in the potential for a spiral of negativity. Furthermore it's an approach that embraces a willingness to take risks and accept that mistakes are useful feedback. It's a space in which we learn and become better at what we're doing.
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By the way, doing the same for others is equally powerful. Instead of adding to their burden and shame, generously offer levity and exclaim "How fascinating!" at their mistakes too. It's amazing how much better everyone will feel and the work will be all the better for it too.
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This useletter is a week late!
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How fascinating! Now, what might I learn form this?
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Go forth and make new mistakes!
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Let's chat
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At unmeasured I take the argh out of architectural practice.
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Helping architects rethink and find joy in their practice.
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I'd love to hear your story. Book a free 30 minute chat now.
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What else is going on at unmeasured?
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I send news and updates out separately in my Updates & Events email. Click the button below to go to the sign up page and have your details added to that email list too.
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recent useful blog posts...
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It might be time for the architecture profession’s leaders to starting learning form the ground up.
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There’s two main ways to stand out. Be different. or Be better. Copying is the route to unexceptional.
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Or…
do architects do too many of the wrong things?
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“Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein
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