Two things I know about me:
1. I am hard on myself for making mistakes. I will either immediately take the blame and begin chastising myself, or I will try to rectify it quickly in a panic. Either way, I punish myself with guilt and feelings of low self-worth, no matter the size of the mistake.
2. I ruminate over my mistakes and try to make sense of them even when there's not a clear reason for them. (sometimes things just "happen" and are unavoidable).
I try to remind myself that I am human and inherently flawed. That the universe is random, with lots of moving parts, and all of us are having this experience. The fact that everyone makes mistakes is not tied to low morality or intelligence. How could it be when we all make mistakes? The good I do outweighs the bad and does not define me as a person. The big picture is more important than my mistakes - there is a balance. What matters is that I am trying to make the right decisions and sometimes I do not, but I still continue to strive for my best. I dislike it when I fail, but it happens.
I am kind to others that fail, especially at work, because I know how it feels for them.
Do I not deserve the same kindness from myself?
