#FAIL

genius/hero

I put out a lot of advice on this blog about living a mindful life--to stay in the present, to realize the things you can and cannot control, to let go of worry and regret.

But here’s a NEWSFLASH: I'm terrible at following my own advice.

I regularly let my emotions get the better of me. I have a tendency to dwell on past decisions, reviewing and revising things I know I can't change. I often waste time in the present by formulating a series of "what if's" for my future. I waste even more time doing absolutely nothing, falling into the social media clickhole of mindless distraction. And once in a while I project my own issues and personal history on others, selfishly masking it as helpful advice.

In many ways, this blog is here to keep me honest. When I do or say things that don't vibe with my own mindfulness mantra, it's now a lot harder for me to escape it. I'm glad for that.

I haven't published a blog post in two weeks. As the days, hours, and minutes have ticked away since then, I've felt more and more guilty about it. Not that I think you're all waiting there at your computer with bated breath for my next musing. It's that I'm not doing my due diligence--I'm floating by in life instead of taking purposeful steps towards a better version of myself.

That's only one example of failure. If I really wanted to get into it, I could give you a whole list of mistakes. But that's a fruitless endeavor.

The best way to live your life isn't to spend it regretting a past decision, it's to learn from those decisions and then move forward as a better person.

Every day is a new chance to set a better intention.
Every trap you fall into is an new opportunity to get better footing.
Every failure is new lesson to use in making a better decision.

Nobody is perfect and nobody ever will be. The two big challenges in life are accepting that and pushing yourself to do better next time.