Re-Thinking Screw-Ups

It’s human nature to berate ourselves over poor choices we’ve made. Regret is a common feeling among my coaching clients, family, and friends alike.

Yet, we literally make hundreds of choices every day. Instead of lamenting the wrong ones we’ve made, what about celebrating - or even noticing - all of the little positive ones?

• Should I floss my teeth this morning?
• Should I eat breakfast, or grab something later?
• Should I call my aunt?
• Should I take the escalator or the stairs?
• Should I buy a banana or a bag of M&Ms?
• Should I read the novel in my bag, or buy a trashy magazine?

True, these choices aren’t as monumental as some of those bad ones that we can’t seem to forgive ourselves for. Also true that we won’t always make the better choice in these instances. But how many of these very simple positive choices are you making every day that are going unrecognized?

Years ago, I took a parent educator course where I was introduced to this quote from Diane Wagenhals of the Institute for Family Professionals. Wagenhals said, “There are literally millions of opportunities to interact in healthy ways with your children. You can screw up several thousand times and still do enough healthy stuff to produce emotionally healthy kids.”

Whether parenting, trying to adapt a healthier lifestyle, trying to live by your values, or just trying to be a better person, isn’t it refreshing to know you can screw up several thousand times and still do millions of things right? And the coaching exercise for this post is just to acknowledge them.

All the best,

~ Sophie

QUOTES I LIKE RIGHT NOW

“We don't get to choose what is true. We only get to choose what we do about it.” ~ Kami Garcia, author

“The hardest choices in life aren't between what's right and what's wrong but between what's right and what's best.” ~ Jamie Ford, author

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President

“I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.” ~ Judith Knowlton, author 

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” ~ Flora Whittemore, author