The email mistake that taught me something important

A couple of weeks ago, some of you received an email from me with a very strange subject line.

Actually, it wasn't a subject line at all. My email address showed up where the subject line was supposed to be. This happened because I didn't understand a change that had been made to the software I use to send these emails. And when I realized it, my first reaction was exactly what you'd expect.

Embarrassment. Then concern. Then a little bit of panic.

I spend a lot of time helping people navigate mistakes, and I still freak out when I make them myself. But something interesting happened. The people who received that mistaken subject line clicked through the email at much higher rates than we normally see.

That made me curious.

Why?

Did something unexpected spark your curiosity? Or were they trying to find a way to tell me I messed up? And thanks to those of you who did, by the way.

And that's when I noticed the resilience lesson. My first instinct was to hide from the mistake. To wish it hadn't happened. To focus on what people might think of me. But curiosity pulled me in a different direction. Instead of asking, "Why did I do that?" I started asking, "What happened? What can I learn from this?" And that shift changed everything.

I did receive messages from people checking on me. Friends texted screenshots. Readers replied to make sure I was okay. What started as a mistake became a reminder that this community cares about one another.

The mistake didn't strengthen me. The curiosity did. I wonder how often we stop at embarrassment. How often we treat shame like a dead end - or a spiral downward - instead of a speed bump.

Because on the other side of many mistakes is information.

Learning. Connection. Growth.

What's a mistake you've made recently that might have something useful waiting on the other side of it?

All my best,

Dr. G