The Problem With Mistakes – How To Appreciate Getting It Wrong

You’ve never, umm, made a mistake or anything, have you? I mean, only fools or lazy people make mistakes, right? … (You know I’m kidding ;)) I’d like to know why it is that we are all so darn hard on ourselves when we ‘make mistakes’? Maybe its because the expectations of perfection were too high for us as little ones. Maybe it’s because ‘getting it right’ the first time is overvalued. Maybe it’s because the opportunity to learn and grow from  mistakes is far too undervalued.

I came across this little message on Facebook and had a very important “aha!” you see, I still look back on some of the things I’ve done in the past and asked those exact words … “What was I thinking?!?!” with great exasperation. But why do I do this? Well, I’d never thought of it before. But one thing’s for sure, I’m going to start changing the way I think about the so-called ‘mistakes’ of my past and start appreciating all I learned from them. Want to join me? Here’s some ideas to get us started …

How to Appreciate Getting it ‘Wrong’

• When remembering relationships that seemed awesome but quickly went ‘pear-shaped’: I will remind myself that the things I didn’t like about him helped me get much more clear about the kind of partner I wanted.
• When remembering poor parenting choices: I will remind myself that these now offer my son and I openings to connect more deeply as I ask for forgiveness and invite him to share any pain or wound connected with my choices in the past.
• When remembering petty behaviors or unkindnesses done by me or to me by otheres: I will be thankful for the opportunity to learn deeply how much I value loving kindess in my life.
• When I misplace something, choose the wrong tool, take a wrong turn or make other choices that cause me inconvenience: I will ask myself how this can serve me, how I can turn it around to be a benefit and, if nothing else, appreciate the message to slow down and breath before continuing.
• When I’ve eaten too much or eaten poorly to the point where it feels uncomfortable in my body: I will thank my body for giving me an alert that I need to be more conscious and kind with what I take in.

Your Turn!