One of the hardest things to deal with is not misfortune, not an accident, but an incident or mistake you caused and knowing that the effects you’re living are entirely your fault. Here there’s no one to blame for yourself, and you don’t have the benefit of cursing fate for the difficulties you’ve gone through, at least in your weaker, more-than-human moments.
But outside of genuine remorse, there’s rarely any benefit in beating yourself up over mistakes made in the past. The best way to heal and to get through this tendency is to take one step at a time, and try to do some good in return. Mistakes in your past don’t have to determine your life path.
Of course, it’s easy for us to say this, and harder to live. So let’s provide some practical steps you can take today in order to move forward and begin to bring some sunlight into your days. No matter how you feel about yourself right now, we’re certain that you’re nowhere near irredeemable. So let’s consider how you yourself might find that organic viewpoint too:
It’s Important To Forgive Yourself
A message we rarely hear in our pop music, or as part of our culture, is that it’s okay to forgive yourself. That can seem hard to accept when you’ve made a genuine mistake, but could it be possible that you can work towards rectifying issues, or at least trying to do some good despite them, and still not beat yourself up each day? Sometimes, being able to function demands that we do so. This is easier said than done, but if you make a sincere effort of it then progress will be assured. And surely, if you’re so terrible, then you’re not one to dictate if you’re worth forgiveness or not. Believe us when we say you are.
Find A New Environment To Occupy
It can be difficult to occupy our old haunts for too long, especially if they reinforce our past difficult behaviors. For instance, if you’re trying to steer well clear of alcohol, and have even been awarded a hardship license so you can commute to and from work each day, then socializing with those who are still stuck in that addiction is not going to be helpful. Sometimes you have to cut off parts of your habitual processing or your social environment in order to grow, and that’s often a healthy and inspired way to move forward.
Give Yourself That Step-By-Step Approach
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so they say, and so rebuilding your life isn’t going to happen overnight either. This is perfectly natural and normal. Give yourself permission to take it step by step then, and remember that progress isn’t perfectly linear but can come in stops and starts. When you’re able to do that, you’re more likely to move forward with a sense of possibility and actual motivation, as opposed to worry, doubt, dismissiveness, and self-criticism. Even if today just means going out for a walk and reading in the park, any positive change is a good one and can be built upon.
With this advice, we hope you can see that mistakes in your past never have to determine your life path.
