Don’t Serve Up a Double Fault

Mental Health, Mistakes - July 23, 2026

by Fiona Stewart, MS, ATC

One point doesn’t win or lose a tennis match, but it can change a player’s mindset. The ability to refocus after a setback is a skill every successful athlete learns.

Industrial athletes face similar moments throughout the workday, where staying focused on the task is just as important as learning from the last one.

The feeling of having made a mistake can be overwhelming. It can stir emotions of frustration or disappointment, yet these moments can be transformed into valuable learning experiences.

Mistakes are defined to be an action, decision, or judgment that produces an unwanted or unintentional result. Reflecting on them allows growth and self-improvement, reminding you that a single misstep does not define who you are.

The Learning Curve

The learning process is not linear; there are difficulties and struggles, but also triumphs and wins! Every skill requires adjustments before it becomes second nature. People often associate mistakes with failure.

This negative association can make it difficult to move forward with your next task and focus on what’s in front of you. In tennis, a double fault is often more than two missed serves. It’s the result of carrying frustration from the first serve into the second. Industrial athletes can experience the same effect when attention remains on the previous mistake instead of the work in front of them.

Dwelling Hurts Learning

Learning to no longer dwell on mistakes and turning that negative association into a positive reaction is important to the industrial athlete because the job site operates at high intensity and requires efficiency, focus, and intentional decision making. Dwelling on a mistake can impact your ability to analyze the mistake. If you are unable to move past the mistake, you negatively impact your learning.

Feel, Then Reflect

So, you’ve made a mistake. Now what? Research refers to positive-error beliefs as the understanding that errors are useful and necessary ingredients for learning. Positive-error beliefs encourage growth, learning, and the opportunity to be better. By letting go of the negative feelings surrounding mistakes and reflecting on how we can utilize that same mistake to make us better, we can be ready to take on the next task. What does this look like in practice, though?

After a mistake, reflect on:

  1. Your reaction: will you allow this mistake to make you miserable or will you be content in knowing it happened?
  2. What is in your control: what could you change about the situation and what you can’t change?
  3. What you have learned and how to do better: what changes do you need to make to avoid future mistakes?
  4. Stopping the pattern: focus on the positives since dwelling on the negative can lead to future mistakes.
  5. Educating others: teach your team to avoid the same mistake.

A mistake doesn’t have to define the rest of your day. Don’t let your next decision turn it into a double fault.

Fiona Stewart, MS, ATC || Fiona received her Bachelor’s in Healthcare Science and Master’s in Athletic Training from Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania where she played collegiate ice hockey. While in school, she worked with both high school and college level athletes providing care from first aid to rehabilitation programs. Outside of work, she is an avid reader, enjoys coaching youth ice hockey, and crafts!

Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right!

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