When things go wrong...

Twist and Shout

It's easy to write about staying positive and keeping your mind fresh—but what happens when something goes wrong?

Life is mostly about learning. Learning from experience, from instruction, and from our mistakes. Let’s face it: we’re not born knowing everything. Much of who we are may be encoded in our genes, but the rest is up to us to acquire.

Fogy has made many mistakes. Most felt too embarrassing to admit at the time, often traumatic, because—quite frankly—he still hadn't learned what he wants to pass on to you today. We’re not all privileged enough to have everything handed to us on a plate, but what we gain instead is a deeper, longer-lasting understanding of life simply by having lived and experienced it.

So what exactly can go wrong?

Once, when very new to networking in a corporate environment, Fogy thought he understood enough to manage files and system configurations on his own. Then reality hit. He decided to delete temporary files in the working directory. Normally, you'd type del *.??? to target specific file types. Unfortunately, Fogy used del *.*—which means everything.

After pressing Enter, he watched in horror as all the working files began disappearing before his eyes. The company’s system was about to stop functioning for everyone. Shock. Horror. A face bleached white in terror. Fogy was frozen.

Fortunately, Novell NetWare—the network system at the time—required a second command, purge, to fully remove the files. After nearly a minute of blind panic, Fogy remembered the salvage command. He restored the files just in time. No damage done, but the lesson was permanent—and the clarity that followed, unforgettable.

I often enjoyed watching the Brazilian women’s basketball team in my early years here and relished the skills of Magic Paula and, especially, Hortência. What struck me most was Hortência’s ritual at the free-throw line. She would take a deep breath and shrug her shoulders before taking the shot.

That small gesture—breathe, shrug, release—has always stayed with me. Calm your body, and the mind will follow. A simple, physical reset before tackling a challenge.

And that brings us to today.
What are the steps to efficiently deal with mistakes and problems?

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So what can you actually do when things go wrong? Here are six steps that have helped Fogy avoid turning small fires into infernos.

1. Admit your mistake.
   You can’t fix what you deny. Owning up allows the solution to begin.

2. Avoid blame.
   Don't point fingers or step back. Work together. Many hands make light work.

3. Listen to every idea.
   Even the wild ones. Especially in panic, someone else may see what you can’t.

4. Focus on what you can control.
   Don’t waste energy on what you can't fix. Instead, communicate clearly, estimate timeframes honestly—and then consider replacing a failing solution.

5. Reflect and learn.
   After the dust settles, look back. What failed? What worked? What will you do differently next time?

6. Document the lesson.
   If you’ve learned something valuable, share it. Help others avoid the same trap.

“Panic makes fools of experts. Calm makes experts of fools.”

So people. What was your biggest panic moment—and what did it teach you?

Add your comments below, or WhatsApp me with what you would like to share. If there are enough of these I will create a feature post listing each of them, with your permission of course.

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Mistakes come with choices. Here's a map of the usual detours—just don’t take too long sightseeing.