I was due to write a blog today and wondered what would be helpful. As you know, I often write from personal experiences, and, as usual, life gave me some content!
I had an important appointment today, one that was both expensive and hard to get. I was moving through my day at a rather glacial pace, sat down to log on to this appointment (because everything is online now, right?!) and realized it was at 11:00 a.m., not 11:30 a.m. I was 20 minutes late, and the person had understandably logged off.
I was—and to be honest, still am—so angry with myself (I'm writing this at 12:15 p.m., so it’s still very fresh!) for making such a simple mistake that seemed to cost me so much.
And then... the insults started coming: "You're such an idiot," "See, you try to advocate for yourself and you can't even show up," "What a waste of money." My inner critic went wild, and then not only was I feeling bad for the mistake I had made, but I was also veering quickly towards adding even more pain and disappointment by being so mean to myself.
Here’s the thing—yes, it is frustrating, yes, I have lost money and possibly an opportunity, but do I want to choose to make the situation even worse by berating myself for being human?
Time has passed, the mistake has been made, and I cannot reach into the past and change it—it's done.
Now, I’m not suggesting you or I do not feel the frustration or disappointment with the mistake made and just move on instantaneously—it was important, and human infallibility got in the way. That is hard.
Often, we do learn from our mistakes—that’s how multi-million-pound companies are formed and gold medal Olympians are made! They make multiple mistakes over and over again, and each time take stock and move on, making something better in the process.
I’m not sure I’ll win any groundbreaking, award-winning moves after this mistake, although I will double-check the calendar next time. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to be a little kinder to myself and thus feel better?
Who knows? But I do know that another opportunity will come soon enough! I encourage myself and you today to be kinder to your human self and all the demands of life—sometimes we drop the ball, but it’s okay.
If you are struggling with your inner critic or anything else related to your mental health, Honeysett Counselling has spaces available now. Email honeysettcounselling@gmail.com or call 07889026560.
Comments