I have a habit of completely unplugging at night to be more focused on my family and give myself a break from the busy pace of my work day.

If I hear a text come through, I will sometimes walk to the phone to read it. I ignore email, Twitter, and Facebook; 13 hours of immersion and connection is enough.

This is a strategy that works quite well for me. My team knows I unplug at night, and no clients have complained (yet.)

Enter: a training call that I scheduled last night for 8 pm ET.

It’s funny, in this case, I don’t remember hearing the calendar alert. And I know why — at 8 pm, I was still upstairs, finishing my girls’ bedtime routines. My phone, downstairs, on the charger.

So, I woke up to an email from the delightful CEO of Maestro Market, Ian Shea, asking me about our planned Go to Meeting, the one I scheduled and then forgot.

My day began with a realization of a mistake.

What could I do? Go back to bed (tempting), cover up for my mistake (my first thought was that it had to be a calendar malfunction.)

Here’s the only thing to do.

Admit it. (Wow, I messed up. I know your time is important.)

Apologize. Look for a way to make it right. (I’m sorry. Can we reschedule at a time that’s convenient for you?)

Move on.

In my case, I am moving on to a busy day. The pace will be hectic; I’ll need to stay focused and present. I’ll need to bring my best, do my best, give my best.

There’s no time for feeling sorry for myself, or beating myself up.

I have made mistakes before. I will make mistakes again. I may mess up bigger than this later today, although I don’t plan to.

Instead, I’ll pray for grace in each moment, for these moments — TODAY — is the only day I have.

Tell me something! What do you do when your day begins with a mistake?

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Becky Robinson

I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.