In the TNG episode, Peak Performance, Data comes face to face with a strategic problem which, even though he makes no mistakes, he cannot best his opponent. As a result, Data cannot move forward from this roadblock and asks that he be removed from active duty. Picard refuses…and reminds him of his duty to the ship. Data must shake his programming and return to his station.

Did Data overthink the situation?

Did Data forget to take a step back and survey the entire scene as a whole?

While Data might have been “correct” in his calculations – he was mistaken to think that there was only one way of achieving a goal.

I invite you to ask the following questions:

  1. What lessons do we learn from mistakes?
  2. What new possibilities become apparent when we consider the situation from a different vantage point?
  3. Can a mistake be reframed and seen as an opportunity to learn?

Stop beating yourself up, pause for a moment to reflect, and start thinking about how you can gain from the situation. You will motivate yourself to become more knowledgeable and resilient.

Here’s what I know: My pencil has an eraser at the end of it for a reason – to remove the things I have determined are errors…then I ask for help…and start again with new determination and a new perspective.