Have you ever had someone look at a project you were working on and remark negatively. Aside from not enjoying negative feedback you probably said "it's a work in progress" - in other words you weren't finished with it yet. I know there are times when I have been reticent to let anyone look at something I am working on for the same reason. Often when working on a speech I am revising right up to the minute I present the speech, and sometimes even while I am giving it. It helps that I build my speeches around a framework of points and don't memorize. That way if I want to make a change mid speech I can, and no one will be the wiser. It's a work in progress.
But we often miss that with ourselves. We think we have to be perfect, have all our ducks in a row, and be all polished and refined. And we are our worst critics - for our 'smudges', mispoken words, missed opportunities. Of course we need to take ourselves to task and not just sail along with whatever. But we also need to silence that inner critic sometimes and give ourselves a break. We are not, nor will we ever be perfect.. We are human and as the saying goes "to err is human". The other part of that saying is "to forgive is divine" and we really need to experience the divine and forgive ourselves.
Every day is another opportunity for growth, success, and when we fail, to forgive. Remind yourself, and others around you, 'you are a work in progress".
No comments:
Post a Comment