The Arc of Reflection and Reaction
Making a mistake is human, persisting it is careless.
The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.
Henry Ford
We will all do things that are wrong, and we will all do things that we just think are wrong.
There is no avoiding either of them, so there should be no shame in them either.
The biggest mistake we can make is mixing these two things up.
The consequences are extremely high if we do something wrong and don’t realize it or don’t do anything wrong, but believe that we did.
One punishes ourselves, and the other punishes those around us.
As humans, it’s impossible to avoid mistakes and think clearly 100% of the time, but we have a duty to ourselves and others to carefully reflect on our behavior and improve our thinking and actions.
Making a mistake is human. Repeating the same mistake over and over again is careless and insensitive.
Believing we’ve made a mistake is human. Repeatedly believing we’ve made a mistake when we’ve done nothing wrong is bordering on mental illness.
Actions themselves are not important, but the way we react and iterate over time defines who we are as people. We will all make mistakes and believe things that aren’t true, but what differentiates us is how we reflect and react.
Each of our lives is an arc progressing over time. We cannot stop the arc from moving forward, but each small action we take influences the trajectory of that arc.
The best thing we can do for ourselves and those around us is attempt to do something every day that will improve the trajectory of our arcs.
Prompts
What is a mistake you’ve made that you’ve learned from?
What is something you felt guilty about but weren’t responsible for?
How do you reflect on your thinking and actions to control the arc of your life?
Deep Dive
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
Mega-bestseller detailing practices to accept ourselves and improve our lives.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin