“I’m starting over; A new pattern of thoughts; A new wave of emotions; A new connection to the world; A new belief system in myself.” ~ Author Unknown
Do you ever feel like you want a do over?
Many times, I have made a decision and believed it was the right decision. I felt good only to have it turn out not how I planned. Oh, do those days hurt when you realize a decision you made was not the best one. It’s hard to undo those moments. So many emotions swirl around when things don’t turn out like we wanted. It feels messy, even embarrassing or the real nasty thoughts of “I screwed up, I’m a loser, I failed.”
Well, here’s another way to look at it.
Give yourself credit. You decided. Was the outcome wonderful? Not this time. However, you still can acknowledge you took action. You could have chosen to do nothing at all. Do you think you would feel better with that scenario? Probably not. No decisions make us feel regretful because, in hindsight, we waivered and stayed on the sidelines more afraid than anything else.
There are times when doing nothing is beneficial. A benefit in the sense of a pause, to take no action in one moment allows you time and space to gain clarity before deciding. Not a bad thing at all. A pause to weigh options and get informed is always good.
On the other hand, when a decision does not turn out well, we have an opportunity to stop and begin again.
I call this a reset. Hit the reset button. Tomorrow is a new day. You are not bad or wrong for a decision that didn’t turn out how you planned.
Oh well and so what. This is what intention is. I don’t think anyone ever intends to make decisions so they turn out bad. Why would we want to intend a wrong or damaging decision? Do they happen? Unfortunately, they do.
When something negative occurs after a decision is put in motion, I choose to believe, we weren’t being our best selves in the moment. We are human. Far from perfect. We have strengths and weaknesses which make us unique and individual. How great is it to know that there is not one other person in the world who is exactly like you? And with uniqueness comes the responsibility to shine and bring your gifts to the world.
Reset!! Every day we wake up, we are given the gift of a new day. Every night we have a moment to reflect on the day. To appreciate how it unfolded. Most importantly, every night you can hit the reset button. To end one day and choose to fill it with gratitude. I choose gratitude for every little thing. My coffee in the morning as I’m getting ready for work. The candle I light. An unexpected phone call during the day. The daily group text I have with my brothers. Anything and everything which made me laugh. The music I listen to throughout the day. The kindness from a stranger who held the door open for me and gave me a smile. The list goes on.
Whatever happened during the day, hit the reset button knowing tomorrow will be here before you know it. Rest well and be a better you than you were the day before.
You come first and the better we take care of ourselves, the more available and helpful we are to those we love.
Hit the reset button every night and watch things be better every day.
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