As some of you may know, I am currently working on a book that chronicles my 23 years of bartending. I am not sure what will be next. Maybe a book on my years in the post office. If so, the following story may very well be included in that volume. It is also a good lesson for all of us to remember. Not only for work, but for life in general.
One of my jobs working for the great United States Postal Service was to travel to different offices and train the staff on how to work with the public. It was one of my favorite jobs that I have held there. Some people were a little difficult to work with. Some were a little easier. There were an exceptional few that required very little training at all. They just had the gift of connecting with the public. One such lady I trained that fit into the category was Young Kim. She was a Korean woman who smiled a lot and was a natural when it came to the job. There was little I had to tell her. That left my coworker Dave and I plenty of time to explore which kind of coffee we enjoyed best while working.
Towards the end of her training, Young made a mistake you would expect someone to make on their first day. Before I could mention anything or correct her, she spun around and said to me, “Do not say anything! Even monkey fall from tree!” Immediately I got. It was that she did not know what to do, she just made an honest mistake. She did not let it slow her down and went on to have an amazing career making everyone she dealt with very happy. We should all be that way. Not letting our mistakes get us down. Even experts mess up. It happens. We are human.
Next time you make a mistake. Take corrective action, if possible. Do not be hard on yourself. Just remind yourself, “Even monkeys fall from trees.”
