I wrote an article a couple of months ago that got published last week. Got some immediate sweet feedback from a couple of people whose opinions I value very much. So I'm strutting around a bit, at least inside. I really LOVE doing good work that is appreciated.
Then I got an e-mail last night from another friend who read the article and expressed genuine disappointment in one thing that was missing from the piece. I think he was being unfair, either accusing me of being incompetent for my oversight or not caring. The truth is that the article's focus was never intended to address what my buddy thought was missing…but my illustrations sure made his perception fair.
My inclination was to fire back an e-mail as a counter punch. In fact, it was more than just an idea. My finger was a quarter of an inch from the "send" button before I decided to see if I could express myself without being defensive. Version 2 did the trick. The truth is, I am really sorry that my best effort disappointed someone. When that happens I end up second-guessing whether it could have really been an honest best effort, as if it were possible to please everyone if I only did everything perfectly right.
I slept like a baby after apologizing and promising to try and do better next time (like the guys on PTI). It's the truth and it set me free.
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