"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.

"

Bruce Lee

I used to call a food magazine "The Silver Spoon" when it's actual name was "The Knife & Fork."

When I stick my head into people's offices, I often bump my chin when I'm leaving; I mean I forget a wall is there.

Earlier this year I pulled away from a gas pump with the nozzle still in the gas tank.

I often say the word for whatever is in front of me rather than what's in my head (i.e., "Did you grab your stairs?" rather than "backpack.")

I shuffle my feet and often trip over sidewalk cracks.

I boldly and routinely call people by the wrong name.

When I get names correct, I often put the emphasis on the wrong syllable. This is particularly confusing to whoever is listening because the word sounds CLOSE to something familiar.

And, if you ever read my unedited writing (Mom, Billy, every work colleague ever), you know I forget the "e" on breathe, I confuse which/that, and I routinely omit the comma before a quote.

I could wax on and on about my faults and they get more serious the deeper I dig. I could talk about my sketchy grasp of details, my overly competitive spirit, my impatience and my rough edges when giving feedback, but I'm hoping you get the point; I could write a thousand words on what I do wrong.

What does your list look like? Can you articulate where you fall short in areas big and small? Do you make this a topic of conversation?

Perhaps you should.

For me, the best way to work on improving is to talk about where I fall short; to own my faults and bring them out in the light for everyone to see. Everyone sees where I need to improve so when I acknowledge the problem, when I bring it out in the light, I'm destroying awkwardness.

And I'm all about killing awkwardness.

Of course, I'm not sure there's a more awkward photo than what's in this post...

Killing Awkwardness & Embracing Mistakes