Embrace the Red Dot

 Think you are perfect?   Are you compulsive about having things "just so"?  If this describes you, embrace the red dot!

I was collaborating with a client on a huge leadership training project last week.   We were putting the finishing touches on the last piece, the agenda.   I received a frantic call from the client. It seems that there were two mistakes on the agenda.  (Are you sitting down?) First mistake: three of the bullet points were square, not round.  Second mistake:  one of the bullet points was a red dot instead of a black dot.  Somehow my eyes had missed the bullet point errors. Oh, horrors of all horrors....

I quickly fixed the first mistake.  Each of the three square bullet points became round with just the click of the mouse.  Ah, perfection!  I was pretty proud.

But that stubborn red dot persisted no matter what I tried.  I highlighted.  I deleted.  I changed font color.  I cut and pasted.  Nothing, and I do mean nothing, was working to change the color of that darn red dot.

My solution?  I decided that there was a fabulous lesson in the imperfection of one red bullet point in a sea of black words on white paper.  At that moment, I saw the beauty in the red dot.  Like the "beat to a different drummer", I chose to embrace the red dot. 

The dancing red dot on the white and black agenda was a beautiful sight.  And a great reminder that it is OK to be human. 

What is your "red dot"?