I made a mistake. Last week’s post referenced David Murrow when the real author of Why Refusing to Change is Killing You is Donald Miller. I had David Murrow on the brain for a different reason and simply did not make the crossover when referencing Donald Miller’s post on Storyline. Their initials are the same: DM. And that also stands for Duh Michelle! My sincerest apologies to Donald Miller for noting his work but giving credit to another author. I am sorry.
And that got me thinking…
How difficult is it for us to forgive ourselves? Can you cut yourself some slack? Acknowledge a slip up, correct it and move on? Or do you continue to beat yourself up mentally, silently, when no one else is around? I know I’m guilty of the latter. Yet how many times have we heard the expression, “We are only human. We all make mistakes.” Hundreds? Thousands of times? Or how often have we tried to reassure children it is okay to mess up? Making mistakes is part of learning and growing? So why is it so hard to forgive ourselves when we make a mistake?
This week’s For Getting FULL of Gratitude questions to ponder may take a bit more time than usual.
Sit back, get comfy…
Think of a recent mistake you made.
Did you acknowledge it and move on? (Yes? Good for you! I’m jealous. Will you share a comment so the rest of us can learn from your good habit?)
Did you dwell on it? (Majority of us do…)
Why? What about making that mistake upset you the most?
Was it that you let other people down?
That you did not know everything right away?
Did a catastrophe result from you not being perfect & making a mistake?
Now let’s switch from the more negative mindset and find the positive…
Did you learn anything from the mistake you made?
Is there a way you can use that knowledge so the same mistake doesn’t happen again?
What insight does this learning, from your mistake, give you about yourself? Is there an area that you want to focus on more for you?
And lastly, how does this mistake actually support one of your natural strengths? Yes, I said strength. For example, my mix up with David and Donald’s names was because I wanted to check out a book on better understanding my husband. I am always questioning “why” and trying to figure things out. My natural strength is to try and understand where another person is coming from. I just got my authors and ideas mixed up while typing up last’s weeks post.
Seriously, take a few moments and connect your “mistake” to your strength. See? Not so bad after all, huh? We ARE all human. And we ALL make mistakes. Learning and growing from them can help us be grateful they happen in the first place. I hope you can keep this in mind throughout the week.
Gratefully,
Michelle
Forgetful Gratitude 