Day 33 When was the last time you made a mistake?

[JoeB1]

And how did it make you feel?

I can't remember off the top of my head, but it seems like daily that something reminds me of a mistake I've made in the past and it always feels like my heart just drops to the floor and I immediately beat myself up over it and then I have to remind myself to not beat myself up over it. I also have to constantly remind myself that making mistakes and learning from them is a part of life and that the knowledge and wisdom gained is more valuable, but it doesn't seem to be enough for my perfectionism to accept it yet.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, JoeB1. I made a mistake in college that sometimes still haunts me... but it also reminds me that I learned a lot from it.

I had told a newspaper reporter something negative about a student rally, that it was disappointing that not many students attended,
when I should have told him I thought he turnout was fantastic.
I mentioned it to a teacher afterward and she said I should just learn from it and forget it.

So we all make mistakes. If we can learn from them, we're doing great. Tell your perfectionist side to take a flying leap.

Nobody's perfect, except my darling dog.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

I also have to constantly remind myself that making mistakes and learning from them is a part of life and that the knowledge and wisdom gained is more valuable, but it doesn't seem to be enough for my perfectionism to accept it yet.

That's a tough one, Joe! I know exactly what you're talking about. What would happen if you completely changed this conversation to something else? What I have in mind is a dose of self-acceptance. So instead of continuing the conversation about the negative and figuring out how to justify it to yourself and not beat yourself up, can you just switch all of that negativity off, and instead simply remind yourself that you are a perfectly good person who is worth being loved? By yourself, most of all.

Day 33 - that's worth loving yourself for! Yeah!

 

[JoeB1]

Haha thanks for sharing that Walt! "Take a flying leap" is something my perfectionist side really needs to do! Thank you both for being able to relate. And Jan, you've helped me realize that I really, really need to work on that!