It was the most awkward moment in the history of the Oscar Ceremonies. Two minutes of elaborate thank yous in, the cast of La La Land was semi-ceremoniously pushed aside for the actual Best Picture award winners, the cast of Moonlight.

The crazy thing is, I almost never watch these things. I usually find out the result of these awards the next day or two. I can’t believe I was present to witness this bit of pop culture history unfold before me in real time.

You can watch the whole painful episode here.

“They’re Joking, Right?”

It was deadly painful to watch.  It seemed like a scene, ironically, from a movie. I, like you (I assume), was empathetically embarrassed for everybody involved.

And why didn’t someone run out immediately to correct the mistake? How could the cast and producers of La La Land be allowed to continue their acceptance speech for THAT long – over two minutes — before the mistake was corrected?

So, today, I did a cursory Google search to see if anyone knows how Warren Beaty ended up with the wrong envelope; the best answer is that it was an honest mistake.

Behold. The Power of Honest Mistakes.

It is not so easy to own up to honest mistakes once they are discovered. But, as last evening demonstrated so powerfully, it is crucial we do so as soon as possible – for everybody involved!

How many times have you realized you were going in the wrong direction, only to continue that wrong direction because the inner turmoil of owning the mistake seemed too devastating to bear?  What mistakes have you made, big or small, to which you have had difficulty owning?

We all have them. Some are minor, like regifting a gift back to the original giver (this is true, and the original giver was me!); others are huge marrying the wrong person, or staying in a job that is sucking the life force out of you like a giant vacuum.

So when is the time? Now.

The best time to correct a mistake is the moment it happens. The second-best time is right now.

Thankfully, the 2017 Oscar kerfuffle was, ultimately, a minor mistake that has the ultimately positive side-affect in that it will go down in the history of American pop culture.  No one is hurt, and everyone who witnessed the event has a great story to tell.

May all our mistakes be so fortunate.