Every once in a while I get this idea in my head that I’m supposed to be perfect, and never EVER make a mistake.  And if by chance I do make a mistake, no one…and I mean no one…should ever find out about it.

Then, one day, my son made a mistake.  I noticed he had somehow adopted the thought that he needed to be perfect, and he was devastated.  It broke my heart to see him this way.  It was then that I realized how unkind I had been to myself.

"A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." ~ Alexander Pope

I shared how I too had made mistakes, and also how I had actually learned from these mistakes.  We discussed what he could learn from what happened.  I shared how important these mistakes truly are, and how valuable they can be, when we are kind to ourselves.

I still make mistakes, and I still get this idea of being perfect in my head once in a while.  All I have to do is look at my son to remind me to be as kind and loving to myself as I would be to him in those same circumstances.

JOY Challenge:

How can I be more kind to myself today?