Admitting Mistakes
Admitting mistakes, accepting fault, finding a solution so it doesn’t happen again. These are parts of training that will 100% happen to everyone. No one is perfect, myself included, and I really love to post about my mistakes to educate and show the real side of life.
Even with unlimited education and experience, no one is perfect. It’s how you handle the mistake is what really matters! Admitting you made a mistake is challenging for a lot of people. It’s important to think what does me not admitting fault result in compared to admitting fault. Weigh in the pros and cons. When we don’t take fault, as we can easily say “our bird has it out for me” or “they’re doing it on purpose” which are statements that are scientifically false to ever make about birds' behaviors. On the other hand, if you said “I messed up and pushed my bird too far resulting in __ behavior” then you can change your training methods and approach to hopefully disallow the situation to happen again.
Accepting that you made a mistake is also important. Coming to terms that perfection and being a perfectionist isn’t a thing when training. Training sessions can easily take an unexpected twist while you’re working no matter how perfect you are. Telling yourself that it’s okay to make mistakes can help with your frustration and motivation to continue training in the future.
Finding a solution so it doesn’t happen again is so important! Reflecting on the mistake, practicing so it doesn’t happen again, and becoming mindful of the error is the most important part. We don’t want to put our animals in situations they aren’t comfortable with, which includes mistakes when possible. So, understanding what went wrong, remembering what we should have done instead allows for us to be successful the next time the situation presents itself.
Accidents happen. Lack in judgement, not thinking deep enough, not having the time to react appropriately, and the long list of other situations that lead us to making impulsive decisions or mistakes happen to all of us. What you do after is the most important part in keeping your relationship with your animal high!