Without mistakes we’d have no wisdom.
I’m going to hold your hand when I say this – we are a constant work in progress. Every day we’re blessed to see, is an opportunity to grow and evolve. And while we’re moving forward, sometimes we make a mistake that can make us feel like we lost all progress we made – but that is not true.
Lately I’ve been reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (wonderful book by the way, highlight recommend) and I’ve been trying to be more intentional about staying in the present. One of the things mentioned in the book is how our mind constantly looks for some kind of past or future space to exist in – and hardly ever the present. And existing in the past or future, can bring up feelings of anxiety, worry, or even self pity. And often times our mind can replay our mistakes to create, an often false, sense of self. While reading I couldn’t help but to reflect on how we process mistakes.
Sometimes, we can dwell in our mistakes so much that we create an identity out of it – and maybe I should be clear when I say we, because I know I for sure have done this. This can look like “Ugh, I can’t believe I did that.” Or “How could I be so foolish to make that mistake” and the list goes on. This mindset doesn’t do much for us, and instead I’d actually argue it’s misusing the whole purpose of mistakes. It may sound like a cliche but mistakes are indeed there to help us grow.
Sometimes, we’d like to wish we could undo our mistakes – but if we did that then who would we become? What lessons would we be able to take with us if we had not experienced any mistakes to learn from? Why try to undo an important part of life that directly contributes to our personal growth?
I think a better mindset shift for mistakes is to look at them as opportunities to be more kind and gentle to ourselves, by forgiving ourselves for making mistakes. And also look at them as opportunities, and little gentle reminders from life, revealing to us areas that we still have to grow and develop in. And to use the hindsight that we gain after having made a mistake, to continue to move forward in life with a new perspective and understanding.
To put it more plain – instead of saying “Ugh I wish I hadn’t made that mistake!” We can shift to “What can I learn about myself from this mistake?”. I intentionally put the focus on self because that is the only thing we can control. We can control where we put our energy, our reactions to things, and we can control our peace. We cannot always control what happens to us, or other things – like the weather.
Anyway, I share this to say this is something I am actively working on. And also something I am intentional about sharing with others – to look at mistakes as opportunities to grow. And I know I can’t just say this and make it sound cute, I have to also live it as well. So, if you are also on this mindset shift journey – I am actively here with you. Some days may be better than others, but what matters most is that we set the intention and hold ourselves accountable to this mindset shift.
And most importantly, not only look at mistakes as opportunities to learn more about yourself and grow, also look at it as an opportunity to be more kind to yourself. Forgive yourself of any past mistakes. And remember, hindsight can only come AFTER an event has passed.
For Women With Dreams 