Remember You Are Much More Than Your Mistakes

Do you feel like you’re your toughest critic? You judge yourself for every single failure, mistake or goal not achieved. Not only that, but you carry the burden of these mistakes for years. If you knew how much this attitude could hurt your self-esteem, you would probably change your habits. You are more than your mistakes. Stop letting yourself be defined by them.

Most of us have a laid back attitude when it comes to painting a picture about ourselves. If you think about it, you will realize that you talk about yourself all day, often in a negative way. When we say “talk”, we include your inner dialogue.

Stamps are never useful because they limit you, especially when you tend to use negative words to define yourself. “I was always a bad student” , “I am unlucky in love” , or “I have been very shy since I was little” are a few examples. You will not be able to feel good about yourself if you define yourself in this way.

You are more than your mistakes

Everyone has expectations of themselves in different aspects of life. We tend to define ourselves by our achievements. As a result, failing at something has a significant negative impact on your identity. You feel incompetent and inadequate. You forget that your essence and intrinsic value have nothing to do with your performance.

Do not let yourself be defined by your classmates who rejected you in high school or your failed relationships. You are more than the job you did not get, or the test you failed. The friendships you have lost over the years and the fears you still carry with you are not who you really are.

You are not what others think of you, nor the times you lost your temper in a discussion. You are not your failed attempts or the times you chose not to try. The stupid thing you said or the way others hurt you does not define you. These are lessons, not life sentences. You are more than your mistakes.

Don’t let external factors define you

When you shape your identity and measure your value with external factors , you give up the power you have over yourself. Maybe your family is your life, and you define yourself as a mother and wife. Even if it seems harmless, what if your marriage ends one day? Or maybe your profession is the most important thing in your life, and your job means everything to you. But what happens if you lose it?

It is really dangerous to define yourself by something outside of yourself, after all, everything is externally out of your control. If you just base your identity on work or family, and you suddenly become “the divorced man” or “the unemployed woman”, the feeling of failure will be overwhelming. In this context, it is very difficult to move forward.

Every mistake is a step towards success

The healthier option is to remember that your value is inherent and unconditional. It does not depend on external factors. If you can take such an attitude towards yourself and towards life, you will realize that you are more than your fault. You begin to see them as lessons. When you love yourself, accept yourself and value yourself unconditionally, you will be able to skip all the obstacles that come your way, as long as they do not affect the way you look at yourself.

It does not matter if you make a mistake, fall or feel scared. You are still you, and you mean something. When you love yourself, mistakes lose their meaning. Instead, they become lessons that will help you improve. Every “failure” becomes a step towards success because they make you wiser and more experienced.

Resilient people are by definition happier and more successful because they are able to overcome adversity and be positively transformed by their experiences. The only way to achieve this is to understand that change is part of the journey. After all, making mistakes is human. Do not define yourself by your mistakes or achievements. Appreciate yourself unconditionally.