As a “recovering perfectionist”, this topic/question has been pivotal for me on the journey of recovery..
We all make mistakes, right?!?
It’s part of what makes us human. For some of us, it can feel as though our past mistakes follow us around. It’s almost like they form part of our shadow, and whatever we do, we can’t get rid of them. And when we can’t let go of the impact of our mistakes, they can damper our day to day life and the way that we speak to ourselves. They can have a negative influence on our mood and the way that we handle difficult situations.
Mistakes are actually necessary. They help us to learn and grow as people, and without mistakes, we would never get anything done. They are an unavoidable part of life, and they’re not always bad… I always told my staff, “it’s perfectly ok to f**k up, I actually encourage it! it’s where you learn the most!”
Do you know how it feels to eff up?
(And did you just say “shitty!”) well that’s actually how you feel when you find out that you eff’d up… not to many people intentionally make mistakes.
When you find out you’ve made a mistake, reflecting on them, asking “what can I take away from it” can help in immeasurable ways.
Then, is there something you can do about the mistake? Sometimes, it’s digging deep to express an apology. But sometimes, there’s nothing you can do, but learn from it.
I believe it adds depth to our character. And when you know better, you do better.
So, I’m curious, if a friend of yours came to you, admitted they made the same mistake, what would your advice be to them??
If I had to bet… it would be some form of acceptance, grace and forgiveness of themselves…
and I think that’s pretty great advice! Maybe we should learn to take our own wise advice 🤔😉
