“To err is human” – who said that?

Believe it or not, if you are human, you are going to make mistakes.

Believe it or not, perfection does not exist.

I will let those words sit with you for a second. I will repeat them.

Perfection does not exist.

This is not an easy concept to understand. We have all been brought up with the idea that perfection or being perfect is something we should be striving for. As if there was a finish line, we’d cross and be awarded a trophy for “perfection.” Yeah, that’s NEVER gonna happen. And why? Because perfection does NOT exist.

So, we make mistakes. Those mistakes help us learn and grow. Without those mistakes, what is there to strive for? How would we know that we have learning and growing to do?

Even though perfection does not exist, for the sake of this article, let’s say it did. HOW BORING.

Every person we meet, every action we take, is surrounded by the idea that we are all perfect. Where’s the humor? The joy? The growth? The teaching?

None of it would exist.

Back to making mistakes.

Mistakes are not a flaw. Let’s look at them as an opportunity. An opportunity to gain perspective. An opportunity to evolve.

Owning your mistakes is a strength. Admitting that you don’t know everything or how to do everything or have all the answers takes strength. If there is one piece of information that you walk away with after reading this article, that would be it. Owning and admitting your mistakes takes strength. It takes character.

As far as I’m concerned, those are qualities to aspire to.

Let’s explore the ways to “forgive” ourselves for not being perfect.

1. If you feel that you have made a mistake, understand that everyone does. There is not one person on this planet that has not made multiple errors in judgment.
2. Life is about learning. To learn, we need those mistakes. Think back to what I said about perfection. What a boring world we would live in without learning and growing.
3. Give yourself a break. If to err is human, then why are you giving yourself such a hard time? To me, that is a sign of one taking life WAY too seriously. To hold yourself to a standard that does not exist is ridiculous. How could you possibly hope to achieve something that isn’t real?
4. Be proud. Something is empowering about owning who you are. Being confident in accepting that you are not perfect not only shows your intelligence but your humanity.
5. Let it go. There is no reason, ever, never, to belabor the fact that you made a wrong call. Whether in judgment, work, words, etc., the important thing is to recognize and not repeat the same mistake. And, you know what? If you do, that’s okay too. Because, sometimes more often than not, we need more than one lesson.

How do you handle your perceived mistakes? Share below!