Think you’ve ruined your entire internship with one colossal mistake? Think again. Being an intern means you’re completely susceptible, and probably likely to make many mistakes on the job. While at first it may seem like the end of the world, trying a few different things may help you realize that it is not so bad after all. Initial embarrassment may be inevitable, but prolonged embarrassment doesn’t have to be. With these few easy tricks, you’ll be out of your embarrassment funk in no time and ready to take on your internship again. 1. You’re supposed to make mistakes. As an intern, you’re there to learn. And oftentimes, as much as we usually hate it, learning also means making mistakes. You can’t have a perfect day, every single day. You can’t possibly know and execute everything exactly right, no matter how much you try. Also, remember that the things you do will stay in people’s minds far less than you think it will. The embarrassing thing you’ll remember for two years, everyone else will forget within the week. Just think about it. How many embarrassing moments of other people can you recall without them having told you themselves? That’s right, probably not that many. You may obsess over every action you take, but remember that everyone else is doing the exact same thing. As individuals, we focus on ourselves, so don’t take what other people might think too seriously. 2. Think about the future. The past is easy to get caught up in. Because the past is the only thing we know, we tend to overanalyze and think endlessly about the things we’ve messed up on or could’ve done differently. Of course, doing this has no purpose. You simply cannot change the past, no matter how hard you try. A better thing to do is focus on your future. The future is something you have control over and can be productive about. If you made a mistake that can be easily fixed, go out of your way to address the problem and find solutions to solve it. Perhaps you need to learn to manage your schedule or be more careful about proofreading your work; whatever it is that needs fixing, be conscious of it and plan to make changes in the future. 3. Remember the good things you’ve done. The worst thing about one embarrassing experience is that it often overshadows all the other great experiences surrounding it. You could’ve been having a great, productive day at work and then your morale was totally ruined by one event. Naturally, this will happen. You can’t combat the terrible feelings immediately, but what you can do is prevent them from persisting too long. Before you get way too down on yourself and think about all the terrible things you’ve done in the past, try and remember all the great things. Think of the compliments you’ve been given lately or the person who smiled at you on the street. Any small, nice thing to remember is far better than dwelling on the one bad thing. 4. Get organized. Being a probably young intern, you can’t overcome the years of experience other people will have over you. What you can do, however, is try and get as much of your stuff as organized as possible. Nothing appears more adult-like than a well-organized person. If your embarrassment was anything project related or about handing things in late, organizing your life will make all the difference. I recommend getting some sort of planner and also making a spreadsheet. Doing this will help you prioritize what needs to be done and when. This makes it much easier on you to stay on top of things and tackle projects because you don’t have to remember it all. You can simply look it up in your planner or on your computer. Such an easy fix to combat those office mistakes. 5. Listen to other’s stories. Like I said earlier, be aware that others will remember their terrible embarrassments before they’ll remember yours. If you’re still feeling really self-conscious about it, try bringing it up to others. I know, it seems counter intuitive, but it may spark a conversation with your other coworkers about the embarrassing things they did as an intern or maybe even as an adult now! Once you get the ball rolling, you’ll be surprised at how many hilarious and downright awful things that have happened. Often, these stories will make you realize that your embarrassment pales in comparison to what has happened to others. Your coworkers will also probably provide needed support and encouragement to get you through. Hopefully by now you’re starting to realize that everyone gets overly dramatic over a little embarrassment. You are certainly not alone. However, the sooner you realize that it’s no big deal, the sooner you can start laughing about it. Who knows, this might even turn into one of your best stories to tell! Source
