We have all been there… we all made mistakes: big and little ones. From “pink elephant in the room” to seamless yet vital ones. We can all show a scar or two as a result of those invaluable life lessons. Some people grow stronger and stay positive no matter what happened yesterday. Some people, including me, sometimes feel so petrified with the outcome of some actions that taking another step is like walking and shaking on the rope that’s been stretched over the chasm of uncertainty down below.
Stop Beating Yourself UP
There were times in my life when I would go and isolate myself from the rest of the world if something I did wasn’t exactly according to my best aspiration of self. Or something would blow up so formidable in my face leaving me shocked and speechless… So I would go to that dark place and give myself the hardest trial imaginable. After all, the harshest judge of myself is me.
I would burn myself in shame. From one lousy event to the whole train of events that goes a long way back. Even recalling myself as a kid, I would still manage to come up with nasty comments. I would ridicule and push myself off the cliff into a dark place with no staircase up and that I would stay there for a long-long time. I was obsessed with nitpicking flaws in myself making it my life’s hobby.
Back then, I never realized that by beating myself up and being negative, I have never solved ANY PROBLEMS in the present. Beating yourself up is practically useless and demotivating. It sprouts self-doubt that gives your self-confidence a hard time.
Growing Wiser
Someone once told me that wisdom is healed pain. It took a while to finally realize the true meaning of those words. And it opened up to me one day. When wisdom comes, it makes you let go and forgive yourself for the things that didn’t go according to your best aspirations. It heals you, it gives you an understanding and releases you from the desire to be a permanent resident in the past trying to change what cannot be changed.
I was a frequent guest in my past. I would sit and analyze what went wrong, what I did and how I could be so silly and why I didn’t know better. From today, of course, I have better perspectives than ever before. It took some time and patience to really STOP that endless avalanche of regrets taking over my mind.
Growing wiser means that your wounds are healed and only lessons are left within us to contemplate on and move on.
It’s All about Transformation
It is about changing your direction of thinking. It is about taking new perspectives. When we see things as RIGHT or WRONG with nothing in between (a grey area) we push ourselves into a very strict set of limiting beliefs which keep our minds caged.
But when we keep our mind open and flexible, only then we see that everything that life brings to our doorstep is JUST an event, an OPPORTUNITY to grow and expand an invaluable and unique life EXPERIENCE.
We cannot enrich our life experience by being captivated by fear of new mistakes.
Yes, our life doesn’t always go according to plan and that’s OK. We need to overcome that firewall of fear of failure and new mistakes and just let ourselves to LIVE and be content with what we have and where we are.
What got us here in the present will not get us there, where we want to be if we are not willing to take some risks and CHANGE.
Mistakes Are Proof That You Are Trying
This simple and liberating idea is capable of changing the way you see your life today. Never be afraid to go out there and explore. Never be afraid to go for what you really want. Yes, mistakes are something that we cannot bubble wrap ourselves from, but that doesn’t mean that we shall stop TRYING.
Trying means you strive for the better you, for the better future, for the better things you know you deserve. Trying, means that you are a capable person, who goes out there and MAKES IT HAPPEN.
Article Source: http://havingtime.com/mistakes-are-proof-that-you-are-trying/
Image source: http://havingtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/yeeee.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. pink elephant in the room (idiom) - is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss, or a condition of group think no one wants to challenge
2. petrified (adj) - so frightened that one is unable to move terrified
3. chasm (n) - a deep fissure in the earth, rock, or another surface
4. beat oneself up (beat smb up) (phrasal verb) - abuse smb verbally
5. formidable (adj) - inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable
6. nitpicking (n) - fussy fault-finding
7. demotivating (gerund) - make (someone) less eager to work or study
8. sprouts (verb) - appear or develop suddenly and in large numbers
**smb – somebody
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What do you do when you make mistakes at home? At work?
2. What happens when somebody makes a mistake at work?
3. What do you think does “Wisdom is healed pain.” mean?
4. What was your “greatest” mistake?
