Have You Learned From Your Mistakes?

I just had a funny thought as I was lying on my knees on the ground hunched over – almost in child’s pose – with my forehead touching the floor. No, I was not relaxing during a yoga session – not even close!

After probably about 40 hours of book editing in the last few days, plus working with clients and doing everything else I have been doing – I am beyond exhausted. The cold sore on the side of my face is proof, not to mention I was sick for the passed two weeks. I know my body is trying to tell me to stop – but I seriously can’t because of the commitments I have made. Though I am almost at the finish line! And I must say the nightly meditation sessions have been the thing that has been allowing me to survive it all!

So, I thought I was done with my book, YET AGAIN, a few days ago. I have momentarily celebrated this false completion about 5 times now, but there is always more work to do! The life of writing a book – I had no idea that it’s not good to think you are done – until the publisher and editor say, “Paula NOW you are done!” After spending another 5 hours today doing my work I have realized something when I was lying on my knees faced forward on the ground.

When you do something for the first time often times “mistakes” show up.

Furthermore, you can LEARN from your mistakes or I shouldn’t even call them mistakes, more like your FIRST ATTEMPTS WITHOUT ANY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE to whatever it is that you are doing.

As I was lying on the floor exhausted and feeling like I just wanted to jump on a plane and fly away to the nearest beach to escape, I began laughing to myself, thinking of how many extra hours I have put into this process than I actually needed to. My mind began telling me, “Well for the second book you write you will not do that and you will definitely do this.”

It then made me think about my love life. Learning from my past relationships and noting to myself, “I will never do that again – or next time I will make sure I do this. Or next time I will make sure to not date someone who is like that, or I will make sure listen to that internal urge I felt.” I am sure you can relate to this!

It also made me think about other parts of my business that I did for the first time, like my 21 day love your body challenge, that many of your joined. Boy, did I learn a lot from that experience and when I choose to do another one, I will have such an easier and more efficient time doing it.

Then it made me think about ED, naturally.

For years ED taught me that when I am stressed I should eat. Well not just eat, OVEREAT– BINGE.

Over eat to the point that the pain from my stomach outweighed the pain from my ever-exploding mind and body.

For years I did this. Over and over again, hoping that it would help.

Yet, now I have learned from my past.

This book process is certainly causing a lot of stress to my life – though underneath it all there is a lot of joy and happiness. In the passed this stress would cause me to end up binging in hopes of the food being able to make me feel better – but since I have learned from my passed that this really doesn’t work, that in fact doing that for all those years only left me feeling worse about myself – I have chosen to write this entry instead of eating until I feel like a beached whale and can barely bring myself to bed.

So why am I sharing this with you? Well because it’s very easy to be hard on ourselves, especially when we are doing something for the first time. If you are living with ED your mindset is usually that of a perfectionist – where you assume that you should be naturally good at everything right away. If you are not then ED shows up and deems you as not being good enough. It’s a vicious cycle that I spent over a decade of my life in – and I don’t want you to spend anymore time inside of that way of being.

Learning how to be kind to yourself through compassion, empathy, forgiveness and self-love is so important.

Learning how to treat yourself as you treat your best friend is key. And having a sense of humor in all of this, where which life doesn’t have to be THAT serious by learning how to live in the present moment and CHOOSING TO ACCEPT it for exactly what it is – with all of it’s “imperfections” and all – is what we need to practice.

ED may have a lot to do with body size, weight, calories and food – but let me tell you he has SO MUCH to do with everything I am talking about in this entry.

Thought patterns, perfectionism, lack of self-acceptance, lack of self-trust and lack of self-love.

So I could go to bed tonight angry at this process of mine that I truthfully am choosing to be a part of,

I could go to bed being a victim that this is taking so long and if I only did this better a few weeks ago then I would be done or did that different a few days ago then this wouldn’t be happening…

Bla bla bla bla BULLSHIT – ED always overanalyzes everything –

Going over what happened – figuring out the perfect solution that “should have happened” in order for the misery that you are in now and the imperfection that you are sitting in now to have possible not taken place.

ENOUGH.

Even as I write this I wonder how I thought like this for so many years.  I am exhausted and overwhelmed and annoyed just writing about it because it is SO UNNECESSARY!!!!

I know it’s just going to be words but the truth is….

CHOOSE TO BE IN THE MOMENT AND ACCEPT IT FOR WHAT IT IS – “IMPERFECTION” AND ALL.

FOR EACH MOMENT IS TRUTHFULLY PERFECT AS IT IS.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF REJECTING EVERY MOMENT THAT SHOWS UP AND WISHING YOU WERE SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT, SOMEONE DIFFERENT, DID OR DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

Oh right because ED has convinced you that you are not worthy or deserving or good enough to just be enough as you are now and accept now, as you are and how it is.

Well I am here to tell you – ED has no f-in idea what he is talking about!!! NO IDEA!

You were born to love yourself –plain and simple

And with that abundance of self-love, that is not permitted with ED being in the picture, you are able to find pleasure, joy and happiness in EVERY SINGLE MOMENT that takes place.

As you are trusting and knowing that that moment is exactly where and who you are meant to be – to help guide you on your journey back to your heart – your truth – your spirit.

I hope this entry has allowed you to realize that being kinder to ourselves is important, to take it moment as a learning experience, and to accept each moment for exactly what it is.

 

PS. I would love to hear your comments about this blog below.  Have a great week!

Paula Galli, Motivational Coach, Nutritional Counsellor & Self-Esteem Expert