Own It

My first real paying job was at Taco Bell in Ormond Beach. I was making minimum wage, which at the time was the grand sum of $3.15 an hour. I had done other odd jobs to make a few bucks now and then, but this was my first official employment.

I distinctly remember an instance where I was making the sauces in the back and accidentally used the wrong proportion of powder and water. It made the sauce very clumpy and unusable, but I was so worried about making a mistake that I labeled it and stuck it in the back of our walk in cooler. I didn't tell anyone I messed up because I didn't want to get into trouble so early in my employment.

The problem with that bit of history wasn't in the waste of a $1 packet of pizza sauce, but in my unwillingness to own up to my mistake. It's a common problem seen on many different levels in our communities. We are looking for other people to blame for our circumstances and do whatever we can to hide our errors. Instead of owning up to our poor choices, we try to find ways to deflect blame and refuse responsibility. I believe part of it is attributed to our desire to not look foolish, but instead we end up being people with no backbone or integrity.

If we want to be part of an honest, trusting, growing community we can't maintain this course. We've got to learn from our mistakes by admitting them when they happen and using that experience to teach us a better path. When we are unwilling to own up to our mistakes we remove the opportunity for growth.