Mistake making boss,
One fact about life is that sometimes we don’t get it right.
Wrong choices are made, relationships end or sometimes you’re not there for your child when they need you.
Doing the wrong thing is apart of life.
And sometimes it can feel like that mistake is what defines us or is something, which creates a lot of pain.
“If only we didn’t break up then everything would be ok”
“I don’t deserve to be happy because of people I’ve hurt in the past”
“I was a bad parent because I yelled at my kids”
But what’s most important is what we perceive and the actions we take after the mistake is made that matters most.
What happens for a lot of us is that once it happens we feel guilty, punish ourselves, dwell in the past or have feelings of inadequacy…
What you have to realize is that…
Doing these are neither going to A) go back and fix what was done or B) benefit you now or in the future…
So…..Stop!
I have made PLENTY of mistakes over the years and for a while I didn’t use them to my advantage…
dwelling on it..
being butt hurt…
eating ice cream..
in my undies…
listening to ‘end of the road’ by boyz 2 men…
And it literally gets you nowhere!
Now, I try not to let it linger in my mind for as long and if any learning opportunities arise (see what I did there) then I do two things:
- Reframe the situation
A good exercise here is to literally write down 10-15 ways to reframe the situation so your focus is shifted.
So if you weren’t there for your daughter at her school play last week maybe it’s a sign that you need to work on your scheduling and time commitments.
- Ask, what’s the lesson
If you’ve broken up with your girlfriend maybe it’s a chance for you to learn more about yourself and become a better person.
The truth is we need these mistakes to give us perspective and to improve ourselves for the future.
Everyone needs different lessons in life for different reasons and at different times.
You are who you are because of the battle scars you sustain and the things you’ve gone through in the past.
Don’t punish yourself, don’t stay guilty, don’t dwell.
Move, learn, change, evolve and improve.
So, lord, how are you using your mistakes?