Give yourself some grace

I was totally berated for a mistake I made recently.

The berating didn’t come from a client, colleague or random person on the internet.

It came from the judgemental voice in my own head.

For hours, I kept replaying a narrative that went…

- You should have been paying more attention.

- That’s the worst mistake you could have possibly made right now.

- People are going to be so disappointed in you for what just happened.

- Are you SURE you can call yourself a mindful leader?

That evening, I wasn’t even able to hold a conversation over dinner.

I was so preoccupied by my own hurtful narrative.

Eventually, I opened up to share the experience with my husband.

His response: “Oh yeah, that sounds bad.”

But as I brought it into the open, my shame gradually started to dissipate.

I softened as I recalled the times I’d seen others make similar mistakes.

And remembered my genuine response to their errors being a smile and, “it happens”.

—

We can be so hard on ourselves.

Especially when it comes to making mistakes we see as being major.

We need to feel safe making mistakes in order to grow.

To not let our sense of worth be completely shaken each time we don’t get it right.

Some ideas for the next time you falter…

- Consider sharing your experience with someone you trust

- Notice your internal dialogue with a spirit of curiosity

- Practice giving yourself the same grace and understanding you would a loved one