Good Judgment Comes From Bad Experience…Experience Comes From Bad Judgment

Nobody particularly likes making mistakes, but let’s face it; we all do it – sometime every day!  The thing that’s really cool about making mistakes is that if you learn from them correctly, they will move you forward in your life.  Too many people today seem to be unwilling to put themselves out there for fear of making “the dreaded” mistake because too few people realize that by doing so, they allow themselves to benefit from an essential part of self improvement.  Forget about the possible guilt and regrets and focus instead on figuring out how to learn from them.

Research shows us that people who go through life afraid to make a mistake spend most of their lives doing absolutely nothing.   Why can’t we embrace the fact that there is more personal gain from making mistakes then from doing nothing in order to prevent them from sneaking up on us?

Sure, mistakes happen for a variety of reasons.  It’s what you do about it when they do happen that really matters, not the fact that you made a mistake.  Take the time to understand the underlying reason(s) the mistakes were made.  If it’s because you were too tired to think clearly, get more rest. If it’s because of a big gap in your leadership or interpersonal skills, hire a Professional coach.   If it’s because you were stressed out, work on ways of finding avenues to reduce your stress and find ways to learn how to relax (exercise, meditation, social interaction, etc.).

Making mistakes allows us to gain wisdom and rapidly accelerate self-improvement in our lives.  They are a platform that provides us with deeper and broader perspectives that enrich our personal growth and experiences and empower us to have improved judgment and develop higher levels of personal character.

Embrace your mistakes….they demonstrate your ability to take risks and enable you to achieve your goals and live your best life.  They are powerful tools in defining and getting clear about your intentions and to move forward with heightened awareness of your soul satisfying life purpose.

“Experience fails to teach when there is no desire to learn.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Every day is a school day……be a life learner and live YOUR life of purpose!

Choose Your Mood

You ever have one of those days, weeks, months….lives…..where you wake up just feeling like a grouch every morning?  Before you even get out of bed you are frustrated with the tasks of the day and feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of your schedule?  Haven’t made it to the coffee pot yet but you just want to kick the dog and go back to bed and pull the covers over your head?  Well, good news, you are in good company.  Too many of us today experience this type of daily anguish.  We live at a break neck pace seldom taking time to regroup, refresh and rejuvenate ourselves.  All this leads to a chronic state of feeling out of sorts with the universe and makes us tired, troubled and frankly, quite irritable.

So, you’re thinking to yourself….gee, that’s all true but it’s all well out of my control.  I challenge you to rethink that mindshare and consider for a moment what your life would feel like if instead of waking up feeling out of sorts with the world every day, you woke up and couldn’t wait to embrace the day?  The demands of your day haven’t changed yet you approach them all with a vision seen through a totally different lens.  Just as a lens alters the convergence of light rays, as for magnification, or in correction of visual defects, you have the power to change the way you experience things and alter your mood.

Just like choosing what you are going to enjoy for breakfast, you are empowered to choose how your mind is going to control your day.  Happiness is, in fact, a choice.  One that is far too seldom selected by the vast majority of people but I challenge you to consider how your day would be altered if you subscribed to this philosophy for just one 24-hour period.  You owe it to yourself (not to mention to those around you) to live with joy in your life.  Try it for just one day…..make the commitment to yourself that regardless of your circumstances, you are going to approach each task with enthusiasm and the heartfelt pleasure that accompanies doing something well.

You’ll likely discover that your feel good state of mind is contagious and that those around you begin to notice your new approach to life and want some of it.  Imagine what it would be like to actually enjoy your daily activities and complete each day with a sense of fulfillment and completeness.  Pretty simple equation.  Change the viewing and you will change the doing.  You can do it.  Give it a go.

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."

 -Henri Nouwen