One sign of an alcoholic's immaturity is revealed in responses to personal mistakes. We take each simple mistake as further proof of our inadequacy. As one person observed, "I can handle a general catastrophe, but running my nylons can ruin my day."
Some of us may feel we're victims of past conditioning a parent, for example, who berated us when the slightest thing went wrong. But we're at fault if we continue to let ourselves be victimized by such experience. We should give no person.. past, present, or future---the right to set the level of our self-esteem .
Properly viewed, all mistakes are for learning purposes. We often have to make a few mistakes before we can learn anything. Sometimes a mistake can occur simply to teach us one basic lesson that we are human and cannot be perfect in everything we do.
Above, all, we should never condemn ourselves for the countless mistakes that occurred while we were drinking. Our alcoholism, a terrible mistake in the sight of many, led to the deep learning we find in AA. Nothing that brings us this far can really be a mistake in the sight of God.
In sobriety, I'm learning tolerate the shortcomings and mistakes of others. I will extend the same grace to myself today if I make a simple mistake.
Mistakes sure are for learning. And I have plenty of learning opportunities for sure. I need to forgive myself, I think, and allow myself to be fragile, vulnerable, and in need of help, but with a more beautiful connotation than I have been giving these traits. They aren't bad.
__________________
~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
Yep, I once heard it said that "mistakes are beautiful wisdom".
So true also about forgiving our own mistakes as well as those of others. I've realized in sobriety that I am so intolerant of others' mistakes as I am so intolerant of my own. If I expect perfection of myself then I'm surely going to expect if of others too. I can only forgive others' mistake if I can forgive and learn from my own. Still a hard thing for me sometimes.
Today I have learned that making a mistake is a perfect place to practice the tenth step and then look myself honestly in the mirror and honor the fact that I have managed to admit I am an imperfect human humbly making progress.
