Words such as “ought” and “should” can sometimes throw a pang of guilt someone’s way, even getting in the way of our own thought process. “I know I should do this” or “You ought to do that”. “Guilt sponges” like myself will take that best of advice to heart and often times give more credence to others’ input than listening to my own guidance. Afraid to make mistakes, we live our lives according to someone else’s guidelines. Secret #5: “Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.” That secret I found in a Chinese fortune cookie didn’t sugar coat this valuable lesson. Often we just have to live life making our own mistakes and learning from them to move on. This is difficult to do and difficult in watching others. Perceived failure is really a learning opportunity. Instead of wallowing in guilt over a past poor decision, redirect your thinking and celebrate the growth in looking at the “big picture” in the “School of Life”. Knowing that learning and growth can come out of every decision we can make, allows us to choose freely, shaking the guilt.
