Learning From Our Mistakes
Throughout our lives, we are going to make mistakes. Sometimes, we are wise enough to make a mistake once, see it for what it is, learn from it, and move along with our lives. In other cases, one makes the same mistake repeatedly, over and over again. In this case, it is usually because the one making the mistake, does not know what they are doing. In some cases, we can even stick our heads into the sand, and start projecting our own errors on to others.
Every mistake we make, is an opportunity to learn. Each mistake also has a cost, and these costs can accumulate. If we get too caught up in what our mistakes cost us, paradoxically, that can actually cause us to continue making that same mistake. Attention on what was lost, is not attention on what is. And seeing what has happened for what it is, is essential to actually learning from those experiences.
It is important, dear reader, to learn from our mistakes as quickly as we can. Each time we repeat our mistakes, we get stuck in a negative cycle. Spinning about like that, causes us to turn into a storm. A storm does not know what it is doing, but it is powerful, and can be destructive if not given a wide berth. The longer this storm persists, the more damage it will cause to those in its area. And often, those who get caught in the storm are those we care about, those we would never wish to harm.
It is important then, to constantly watch how we are behaving in this life. Are there cycles repeating themselves? What do these experiences all have in common? Is this person in front of me trying to hurt me, or are they simply doing me a favor, holding up a mirror, so that I can see what I was not capable of seeing myself? People who hold up a mirror are blessings in disguise, if we can only realize that the pain comes from the reflection, not the one holding the mirror.
For 2023, I have decided to remove myself from social media. I am now focused on interacting with people in real life. I am focused on paying attention to my negative cycles of behavior as I interact with those people. I am focused on the betterment of my own life situation, and myself, rather than making depressing comparisons to the life situations of others. No matter what my situation might look like, when compared to others, I must enter the now from here. Only by accepting what is, and seeing it as it is, can I move forward into this new chapter of my life.
Thank you, to each and every one of you, who has supported me throughout the events of 2022. Thank you, to each and every one of you, brave enough to hold up a mirror, instead of telling me what I wanted to hear. Thank you, to each and every one of you, for listening, being patient with me, and for understanding.
Happy New Year Everyone! May 2023 be a year filled with blessings and growth for you all!
