day 33 - dealing with mistakes

Today's SEP assignment is to write about how we feel when we make mistakes. Oh boy, that's a hot-button issue for me.

I am a translator and anyone who knows about the language industry knows how nit-picky it can be. Making mistakes is a big deal in my field and it's a reality I have completely blown out of proportion in my head due to my perfectionism.

I love my job a lot. It's the best! But I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect. Sometimes I make mistakes, being human and all... In the past, I would beat myself up for days about it. I would scare myself by thinking
I was going to lose my clients. The funny thing is, my clients really appreciate my services. I think they see how much I care about my job and how committed I am to producing the very best work I can. They understand if I let something slip once in a while. I am learning to treat myself with the same respect and understanding. It's a work in progress for me, but I'm getting there. When something happens, I just try to see the whole me -my dedication, my enthusiasm, the specific circumstances of any given day - rather than just the mistake. It is helping a lot. My anxiety about my work is at its lowest ever. I'm so happy about that, since it makes my job even more fun.

 

I love this blake, you are looking at your overall performance instead of just a mistake. When I was reading this I got some positive enregy from this. I will take this knowledge with me, I thank you for some great insight. How are you doing now blake?

 

Hi there,
I'm actually doing pretty good today, thanks for asking. Thanks for the feedback too. I'm using this concept of seeing beyond my mistakes in my day-to-day life. You see, part of my recovery is overcoming my fear of failure in my professional life. I'm currently trying to grow my client base, which generates insecurity, but it also gives me a chance to practise new, healthier behaviours. I'm taking it slow, being super gentle with myself and giving myself constant encouragement and pats on the back. I'm still tempted to start down the path of self-criticism, so I need to keep practising. But it's coming along.

By the way, I just started reading the book you wrote with Walt. I'm only a little bit in, but very soothing so far.

 

Awesome, Glad your doing well. Hope you continue to grow in your strength and goals as I know you will. When we practice its hard to lose but practicing with all the tools and extra intuitive insight is an added bonus. You should really like the book. I still read it weekly, I am still surprised at how much I was able to learn from tms healing, you will enjoy it. Thanks again. Bless you