Forgive yourself

Being able to forgive yourself for a mistake is important for thriving.

Forgiveness is not about justifying your mistakes or twisting facts to make them seem acceptable or harmless.

It’s about being able to hold two realities next to each other:

1. You being responsible for creating negative consequences with your actions
2. Your ability to learn from those actions and do better moving forward

If you only see the mistake, it tends to eat away at you and makes it very hard to move forward.

It’s the recognition of your ability to learn and improve that offers relief, hope, and permission to move on and do better.

Indeed, when mistakes and their consequences are irreconcilable, the only practical and meaningful response is to try to do better.

Don’t demand perfection. No one is perfect.

Your next mistake will not be your last.

Instead aim to do your best, and love and forgive yourself unconditionally through all of it.

No matter what the world may think at the moment, you deserve this kindness.