Wednesday, November 25, 2009

OUR MISTAKES DO NOT DEFINE US

Scared of fouling up, making a mistake, bungling up, and committing bloopers and blunders? Are you? But hey who isn’t. Any normal regular average guy and gal hate to make mistakes. “It’s embarrassing” – “OMG What a shame” – “I could go invisible right now” – “Oh brother, did I do that?” – “I feel like disappearing into the wall”…. Does that sound all too familiar to you?

Well, mistakes take all forms shapes and kinds -- there are small mistakes and big mistakes - And petty slip-ups and life changing oversights. What does it do really? Well, it can ruin a person’s life or make him an overnight celebrity (which isn’t a good reason to be famous for). Some may try to repair, redo, alter, camouflage, ignore, rationalize, overlook, or even find somebody who would (with a little persuasion) take the fall (politicians do that). And so all the frantic effort to save face, space, and grace going to all extent to achieve just that.

But really what else can one do?

Oh there is one and it’s not a popular thing to do. I don’t see many people do it. In fact, in consensus it seems to make them feel far worse than the boo-boo itself. Because it exposes their mortality, frailty, ignorance, imperfection – something nobody is comfortable with nor ready to admit.

I remember as a teenager (and that’s centuries ago) I would always be at loggerheads with my kid brother. So much that when a boo-boo occurs, his or mine (it didn’t matter), I would easily point the finger at him with “He did it!” He did that to me too, much to the consternation of our mom. So one day when we fouled up something in the kitchen, and as two separate fingers pointed at one another, Mom with eyes blazing said …. “Now see here, you two, own up to your mistake or you’ll be washing dishes for a month!”

‘Own up to your mistake’ – have always remembered that.

So that’s the first step and easily the rest will follow. It’s no crime to admit you’ve been wrong. There are zillions of people out there who have been wrong too. But you can make the big difference by owning up to your mistake and from there move on to better things, to healing wounded hearts and souls, to get your self-esteem back, to pick yourself up and say ‘Okay, I’ve learned my lesson’ and become a wiser and smarter person than you were before.

Our mistakes do not define us; it’s what we do afterwards that does.


14 comments:

  1. "We learn from our mistakes!"

    Very nice post Ellen, it is a reminder that everyone is not spared of committing mistakes, unintentionally or otherwise, but what counts is the lesson we learn from it that will make us a better person afterwards.

    Have a nice day Ellen. God bless!

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  2. I have an award for you, please claim it on my blog. Thanks.^^

    So true.. we can blame it on the dog, on our neighbor, on the bad weather. But we must also look at ourselves and be humble enough to admit that it is our fault. There is nothing wrong with making a mistake as no one is perfect, and those make room for improvements. If we are humble enough to admit our wrongdoings, then we can learn a lot in life.

    Nice post as usual. Take care and God bless.

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  3. Ellen,

    Read 2 posts now. Troubles tumble one around like clothes in the washing machine and make you come out cleaner ready for taking on the tasks with vigour, isn't it? Owning up one's mistakes speaks volumes of person. One then learns not to repeat the mistakes.

    Take care

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  4. so true...if we didnt commit mistakes, i wud doubt of being a real human...we all learn with our mistakes and we grow with them :)
    neat post!!

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  5. I guess it's the most difficult thing to do. Confessing or owning up. It is easier to point fingers at someone else. But God has it all planned so perfectly, that when you point 1 finger at someone else, you find the 4 other fingers pointing back at you.

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  6. Hi Sashin,

    Wow! this is such a pleasant surprise -- and coming from you that's even a bigger delight. Thank you. I'll see your blog and try to get it to my page. (Hope I remember how to do it Lols!) :-)

    Rightly said >> "There is nothing wrong with making a mistake as no one is perfect, and those make room for improvements." Beautiful!

    Thanks for this lovely visit.
    God bless you and your family.

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  7. Hi Amity,

    You very well spoke my thoughts. Thank you for coming by. I hope all's well with your day. May God bless you and your family.

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  8. Hi Jack,

    You sum it up real well. Glad to see you today. Wish you tons of blessings. Thank you for this wonderful visit. :-)

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  9. Hello Rush,

    "..we all learn with our mistakes and we grow with them :) .." Oh yes indeed! Beautifully said! Wish you a pleasant and enjoyable day. May God fill it with dozens of blessings for you and your loved ones. Thank you for dropping by. :-)

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  10. Hi RGB,

    Wow! what a power-packed statement --- "...But God has it all planned so perfectly, that when you point 1 finger at someone else, you find the 4 other fingers pointing back at you." Bravo! :-)

    Thanks for this lovely visit.
    Take care. Hope your day today's bright and sunny.

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  11. Super beautiful naman nito Ate Ellen ! kaka-touch in a big way :)

    I am such a bad liar, and sometimes I really had a hard time admitting of something, but its so easy to tell because I cry and cry, and to my hubby it could be annoying sometimes,he doesn't have that patience at all times..

    but you're right, its easier once you have admitted your mistakes learn from it and move on, hiding it or not addressing it could be more painful...

    I super Love you Ate Ellen...
    I finally have time to catch up here, and I need to do a lot of catching up...but its always like a breathe of fresh air everytime
    I visit your blog..

    I feel renewed in a very special way..naks naman, may renewed renewed pa kong nalalaman, but totoo po, walang bola...
    di ko nga lang po alam kung tama ba yung term..
    thanks po my fabulous Ate!

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  12. Hi Khel/Gratitude,

    You're such a sweet gentle soul. And too a courageous one. So much has been heaped upon your plate which would easily defeat weak hearts and ordinary souls. But not you. I admire your quiet strength to carry on, flexibility, strong resolve, undying hope, steadfast faith, and most importantly the rare ability to see the lighter side of things. You haven't lost the magic of laughter and joy. You know, if anyone would come searching for a hero, I would give them your name! Cos I see the hero in you, dear Khel. :-) It's right there - in you!

    God loves and blesses you!

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  13. OMG Ate Ellen,honestly that was the SWEETEST,KINDEST MOST LOVING WORDS AND THOUGHT that someone ever told me..

    I mean, deep seriously.

    And honestly, i appreciate it with all my love and respect..
    It brought tears in my eyes and I can't believe that you were talking about me? I mean? really?

    For someone who didn't fully understand where am I at this point of my life, that's an awe to me that you see that in me...

    I really don't know how will I react to that, but honest to God, with all the words that you used to describe, I will not lie...
    Its a little too much for me to take in..esp the word hero, because i am not even close...and the fact that I am lucky,and bless and I have no right to complain,
    just because I know..somewhere out there, people starves, and I am not doing any contribution or anything...it is hard..

    But so THANK YOU, you see something in me, that I didn't even realized exist...that from now on I will start believing that it is really IN me...

    Thank you for being my teacher, thank you for teaching me to dream again, to believe in my dreams again, to see all the possibilities...and for letting me feel that I am one lucky individual..

    THANK YOU with all my heart..
    You will be my forever Angel Ate Ellen..

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  14. God loves you, Khel.. more than you ever know. Tell him in your heart how much you know that too. Let us always remember to thank God for loving us so much more than we mere mortals deserve.

    Blessings to you, dear friend. :-)

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