If you’ve read my “about me” page here on my website, then you know that I’ve made some pretty big mistakes in my life, including one that I still can’t forgive myself for (I’m working on it). It’s true. We all make mistakes. But it’s what we learn from them that counts!
Oprah Winfrey has said that mistakes might be even more important to your supreme destiny than even a huge triumph. (For sure, both can be a painful process.)
Listening to your inner voice (or your gut) can help you avoid mistakes. Some of us tend to hear more from our heart while others hear more from their gut. The key is to listen. When you have a big decision to make or need to understand how you really feel about something, carve out some time to sit and be with your thoughts.
According to Inc. magazine, “Research suggests that more people regret what they didn’t do than what they did do—even if those decisions didn’t turn out well,” says Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author and host of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast.
When you do make a mistake, how do learn to forgive yourself? Mistakes are easier to forgive when you know you made the decision based on the information you had, not on your gut feeling. But even then, you must work towards forgiving yourself so that you can fully process where you went wrong and learn how to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Here are some steps to take:
1. Take responsibility for it. When you know better, you do better. We’re going for progress, not perfection.
2. Apologize to anyone you hurt. You can’t control if they’ll forgive you or not, but if you’ve done your best to make amends, then you can move on.
3. Ask yourself “What is my next right move? What is this here to teach me”? and then let it go.
4. Give yourself grace. This is the hardest part. As social animals, we want everything to be back to normal as soon as possible. Try to accept that there’s nothing more you can do to correct the situation and press the pause button on worrying. Worrying won’t help and it only ruins your day.
So my question to you would be
1. What mistake(s) have you made that you need to forgive yourself for and
2. What mistake(s) turned out to be a blessing in disguise? If you’re comfortable, leave a comment and let me know!
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