When you watch a toddler make a mistake, they just say the magic words “uh-oh” and then it’s all done with. Too bad there isn’t such a word in the land of adults.
When we mess up, we can spend hours, days, and even weeks reliving the experience and beating ourselves up.
Let’s treat this meditation as the equivalent of an “uh-oh.”
The next time you cringe at a mistake, sit and notice where the blame is lying. Is it with yourself? Is it with someone else? Try to just notice without reiterating the story in your head.
Admit how you feel, paying attention to your inner critic. It is okay that you made a mistake. All of us do.
What advice would you give a dear friend who went through the same experience? Meditation gives us permission to be fully human, even when being human is uncomfortable.
Come back to being present, even if your ego is committed to the past.
Come back to the immediacy of your experience. In the now, nothing is going wrong.
Once you leave your meditation, do what you need to do to move forward. Apologize. Work hard. Forgive yourself.
A mistake can be a one-time deal and a way of helping you to become stronger.
