The human being factor

We all make mistakes, we all make errors of judgement; we've all simply got the wrong idea about stuff at times.

The safest pair of hands in the team still drops catches, the best of the best still drop passes and knock the ball on. A moment of sporting brilliance can soon be followed up by some sort of "brain fade" and a moment of stupidity.

Nobody could put it better than NBA great Michael Jordan: "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot, and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Ahhh... the human being factor!

To illustrate again, in the summer of 1986, two ships collided up in the Black Sea off Russia's coast. One was a passenger liner, the other a freighter. Apparently, the passenger liner went down so quick crew never had the time to launch any lifeboats. Over 400 people of the more than 1,200 onboard perished. Many had gone to bed for the night so they went down with the ship. Others never survived the icy waters.

The investigation into the tragedy revealed both captains knew the other boat was there. There was no weather incident, the weather was actually good. Nor was there any radar failure or other technical issues to blame. Both captains had plenty of time for any necessary course correction to enable them to steer clear. But both chose not to!

One report I read said both captains refused to yield and give way to the other boat, until of coarse it was all too late. So, were stubbornness, pride and inflated egos involved? With both captains being humans, then most certainly, I'd say!

Now with mistakes, here's some food for thought. It appears to me that usually most folks will take one of three options.

1. They will quickly learn from their mistake and successfully move on.
2. They will learn from it, but not so quickly. It may take a while, even repeating the same thing over and over. Then they move on, often with the help of others.
3. Some just don't seem to want to learn. They seem to revel in excuses, or perhaps they just feel trapped with no way out. When that's the case, one can give up even trying. You will surely benefit from the help and support of others if that's you.

I make no attempt to hide my humanness. Why bother? It's very obvious to others, so attempting to hide it really is not very intelligent! I can do a few things well, but certainly all of you can do many things way better than I can.

Also, I'm very happy to accept help, and do not feel any less of a person for acknowledging that.

If you happen to have sheep, you will know they need the care and help of a shepherd. If you're not drenching them, then maybe you are jetting or dagging/crutching them, getting them ready for shearing, etc. We have to regularly watch the blackberry, and the muddy wet areas with ours.

Well, there is a great shepherd also. Multi-millions around the globe, like me, acknowledge our need, and constantly seek his help. For me, he's been the huge difference maker in my journey and time on this planet.

Take care and God bless.

To contact Colin Miller, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.