"Turn your wounds into wisdom."
-Oprah Winfrey
When we're kids, we can make mistakes over and over again, and it's expected of us because everyone knows that kids need to try things and fail until they eventually get it right. The same rule of thumb should apply to us as adults, but yet we're so hard on ourselves and think we shouldn't be making these mistakes. Instead, we need to look on each mistake and think about it as a lesson, be grateful for that lesson and move on. As Oprah said, turn it into wisdom.
So many of us have the same mistakes and disappointment come back to us over and over again. Why do you think that is? It's because we haven't yet learned from that mistake. In order to learn from the mistakes we make, we need to take ownership of them, turn it into a lesson learned, and finally be grateful for that experience. People who continuously become hurt by the same mistake are usually not turning to themselves to find the answer, and instead blaming someone or something else. So the cycle continues. They take the same actions, and the same things continue to happen.
No matter how bad something seems, there's always something to be grateful for from the situation. Today, you're going to pick a mistake that has hurt you, and you're going to write a list of things you are grateful for about it in order to turn in into a blessing to your life. For example, if you were in a relationship that burned you, here's what you may write:
1. I am grateful for Jim because he was the first person who taught me how I could love someone so much
2. I am grateful for Jim because of all the fun moments we shared together.
3. I'm grateful for Jim because he taught me what I don't want to feel like in a relationship
4. I'm grateful for Jim because he showed me that I need to weigh someone's actions more than the sweet words they may say.
5. I'm grateful for Jim for letting me go so I could find a better man for me.
Whatever your mistake is, or if there are many, take some time and make a list like this. Once we focus on the lessons we learned, we can move on from repeating the same mistake and instead be grateful things happened.
Your checklist for today:
1. Make your gratitude list of 10 things you are grateful for today and why.
2. Think about some mistakes in your life. Write a list of things you are grateful for about that mistake to turn it into a blessing for your life.
3. Before bed tonight, pick up your gratitude object and think about all the good tings that happened to you today. Think of the best thing that happened today and say Thank you!