As a topic, making mistakes, your friends may have you wondering how in the world mistakes could be your friend. The thought of such a relationship might seem highly unlikely. However, little speed bumps and detours on this winding road, known as life, can serve as the keystone for overall success and fulfillment as a human being.
In the few minutes, it will take to read this article, I will emphasize how you can begin to befriend your imperfections. Taking advantage of these strategies will allow you to go from waging war on your mistakes to understanding how they will help you to become a more productive and more likable person.
Be Prepared for The Conflicts of Life
We all know that life is far from perfect all of the time. Instead, it is a constant roller coaster of highs and lows. That is a fortunate fact, because if it were not for periods of lows in our life, how could we fully appreciate the great times? Each time you make a mistake, you should make sure that instead of running from it, acknowledge your error and analyze ways in which you could have avoided or improved the situation. In doing so, you are not only setting yourself up for future success when a similar conflict arises but, at the same time, preparing yourself to deal with issues of a different nature. Each time you can overcome a mistake and better yourself from it, you are increasing your mental resolve and reinforcing your ability to handle the inevitable mistakes, you will inevitably make down the road.
Forgiving Yourself, Makes it Easier to Forgive Others
The way we treat those close to us is often a direct reflection of how we view ourselves. If you are going through life with constant internal conflict stemming from the inability to let go and move forward from mistakes you have made, as many of us are, the extent to which you forgive other people is going to be negatively affected. Making mistakes here and there is an excellent opportunity to cut yourself some slack and practice positive self-talk. If you can conquer your inner critic and think of your occasional shortcomings as learning opportunities, how highly you regard yourself begins to increase. As you see yourself more profoundly, this then spills over into your relationships with spouses, children, coworkers, and friends. If you want to enjoy healthy, fulfilling relationships, forgiveness is an absolute must. Remember, forgiveness starts from within.
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We Grow Through Problems
Consider this, if you led an entirely peaceful existence with absolutely no conflict, mistakes, or turbulence along the way, do you think you would continually improve in any area of your life? I say NO. Progress rarely if ever, occurs in a state of comfort. As human beings, conflict and mistakes have led to virtually all of our greatest achievements. When you encounter a less than ideal situation, when you make a mistake, realize that this is nothing more than a stimulus that you can use to better yourself in whatever facet of your life the issue is occurring. “Smooth seas never made a skillful sailor.”
The ability to embrace your beautiful, imperfect human nature is such an excellent destination to reach. The highest achievers in any endeavor imaginable got there because they made mistakes, lots of them. What separates these people from the fray, however, is that they befriended their mistakes and used them to springboard themselves to the pinnacle of human achievement. From now on, consider the word mistake to be synonymous with a lesson.
J Thomas Smith is the host of “Sunday Morning Live” on “The People’s Station” KMJQ/Majic 102.1 (9-11 cst). Your comments are welcome at jtsmith@radio-one.com. Follow on Twitter @DrJThomasSmith on facebook.com/jthomas.smith.12 and instagram.com/drjtsmith102.
