When you screw up in life, it’s important to not be super harsh on yourself. It’s important to give yourself some grace and forgive yourself. Forgiving yourself also means that you learned why you made the mistake because that means you know what to do to prevent it or reduce the likelihood that it will happen again.
I had to remind myself of that today because I ended up taking a one and a half hour nap in the afternoon and lost all the time I had allocated to taking my software classes. At first, I was really mad at myself. In my head, I was telling myself: “Of course. You idiot. You would sleep away all the time that you had. You were mentally weak and decided to sit instead of stand during your lecture.” But the weird thing is…if a friend of mine did the same thing, the first thing I wouldn’t do is chastise them like the way I myself. Instead, I would probably say “Hey. It’s okay. You probably did need the rest and now you feel less tired. Use the energy and remaining time you have on the tasks. You know what you did wrong. Next time, just stand up. Take the chair away from the table and stand during the lecture. Move on and use the time you have left today. Don’t let it happen tomorrow”. And when I said that to myself, I felt less stressed and a bit more motivated to use the time I had left to finish whatever I could from my classes and hobbies.
So just a reminder: Be more compassionate to yourself when you mess up. You’re a work in progress and having self-compassion will be crucial in having a consistent daily growth mindset.
As always,
Stay Confident. Be Curious.
