Okay, I Screwed Up…Now What? Dealing with Mistakes
Everybody makes mistakes, that is completely unavoidable in life. All you can do is change the way you perceive the mistake, and that will help you decide what to do about it. Are you going to let it bring you down or rise above it? There is always a solution to every mistake and much knowledge to gain if you are open to the lessons your mistakes are capable of teaching you.
Don’t let mistakes get you down
It’s a human emotion to feel a sense of discouragement after making a mistake. Something you saw going one way didn’t work out the way you hoped it would. That can understandably be very disheartening. It’s important, though, not to dwell on your mistakes. It’s okay, it really is, because there is a blessing in every moment, and in every mistake. Be open to it and embrace it. Every moment is always perfectly unfolding as it should be, and this includes every single mistake you’ve ever made and any you will make in the future. Each mistake contains a gem of knowledge from which you learn and then you need to move forward.
Watch my short video to learn more about dealing with mistakes.
Learn from your mistakes and grow as a person
You are forever exposed to more knowledge and opportunities to learn and grow. Your mistakes are some of your biggest and best teachers, if you will allow them to teach you what they are meant to and don’t shy away after you make them. You don’t have to go back and “fix” anything. You can’t. You can change course from where you are and implement what you’ve learned along your journey so far. You wouldn’t have discovered the answers to the lessons you needed to learn up until this point, had you not made a mistake. You also wouldn’t be equip to change course and use what you’ve learned to move forward. Be thankful for your awareness of your mistakes, especially in moments of discouragement. Don’t beat yourself up. There is a reason the mistake was made.
“Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.” Ben Okri
The great Ralph Waldo Emerson put it best when he said “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” Do you think that successful people never make mistakes? Nobody at the top of their profession has always had it easy getting to that point (and they still aren’t exempt from making their own mistakes). That’s what makes their stories so compelling! Nobody is perfect, and constantly trying to be will just produce feelings of failure within you if you come up short in the end. That will stop you from ever taking chances in life, which robs you of what could turn out to be some incredible experiences!
As Michelle Russell says in her blog “Why Screwing Things Up Is Crucial To Your Well Being”;
“That’s why it’s so important for us all to mess up once in a while. We must re-learn what we knew as children—that screwing up is not the end of the world. That we can recover, and keep trying, and get better.”
Read more at http://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-screwing-things-up-is-crucial-to-your-well-being/
Be aware and embrace your mistakes
The only one who can keep you down is you. It’s your choice whether or not you look at the criticism, hard times and mistakes as things that you’re going to let stop you, or rather use them to propel you forward. There are many “aha” moments after you have made a mistake, but in order to see them you need to keep your mind and awareness open.
Just because you screwed up once, doesn’t mean you will again in the same situation. Your inner ego will try to convince you otherwise, but that’s precisely when you need to breathe, step back and call upon your inner observer. Nothing you’ve done is either right or wrong. Doesn’t that thought feel better? Don’t judge or criticize yourself. Let go of regrets and choices you no longer want to continue making. Begin to choose a different thought and therefore a different action. It feels so incredible when you become aware that you can make a different choice next time. You know better now than you did before…so give yourself some credit! You wouldn’t know that if you hadn’t screwed up!
Treat yourself as gently, lovingly and compassionately as you would a dear friend that came to you after screwing up. Have you noticed as you’re listening to a friend lament about a particular circumstance that you are able to see the situation quite differently than they are? You can be objective and clear while noticing your friend’s inability to see what is so obvious to you. Read more at http://loranegordon.com/yourhappinessway/inner-observer/Live your life fully and fearlessly. Let go of any control you wish to have of the outcome of everything you do. If it doesn’t go according to plan, so what? Always be open and willing to learn and grow. Most importantly, know that nothing is a mistake…it’s a lesson learned!
Let us know about mistakes you have learned from, in the comments box below.
[…] Be kind to yourself. You remember that, “If only…” thinking? How about, “If only I wasn’t so mean to myself I wouldn’t be suffering the winter blues”? We are our own worst enemy, it’s about time to become your own best friend. Self talk that is negative attracts even more negative happenings into our lives. I’m not saying you should nt be aware of your wrongdoings; if you do something shameful or hurtful, then make recompense and apologize. No, what I am talking about is how hard we are on ourselves when we make mistakes. For goodness sake, you are human, humans make mistakes, it is part of the learning process. Just because you may be a “grown-up” does not mean you don’t make the occasional “screw- up”! Mistakes happen! […]