A friend of mine made a mistake at work and was harshly corrected by her supervisor. She said sorry and proceeded to correct the mistake. The supervisor continued to berate her for her mistake. My friend decided that enough was enough, so she said to the supervisor, "Who's dead because of what I did? . . . . Nobody! . . . . So knock it off."

I have internalized that mindset. When I screw something up, I get hard on myself. Then I remember my friend's story, and I talk back to myself. I say, "Okay, okay. I screwed up. But no one's going to die from what I did. It's not the end of the world. Just correct things as best I can . . . and move on." That helps me a lot. Not every mistake is a tragedy. Sometimes you have to be your own best friend.