Are All Mistakes Just Growth Opportunities In Disguise?

I have been focusing on staying positive and looking for good in everything. Given that, are all mistakes just growth opportunities in disguise? I’d like to place a positive spin on mistakes. Ergo, let’s call them growth opportunities instead.

Is anyone else buying into all this positive thinking “stuff?” Every article I read these days says “you become what you think.” Being logical, that makes a lot of sense to me. If you spend the whole day thinking the sky is falling, you will experience situations that appear dire. Likewise, if you feel the opportunity in front of you is fantastic, you will create reasons for why it is.

In theory, this seems quite simple. Change your mindset. The world becomes easier! I am here to tell you it’s not that easy. In fact, it is hard, very hard. The number of negative thoughts circling my brain is massive. For example, I lost my footing in the shower this morning and immediately thought, “Oh no, I am going to fall and crash through the glass shower door, hit my head on the tub, and bleed out before my husband finds me.” What is wrong with me?

Growth Opportunities in Disguise

Why do my thoughts immediately go negative? Why couldn’t I have had the great memory of spinning around and around, holding the pole in my basement while roller skating until I felt dizzy? I loved doing that as a kid. Is it possible, to eliminate negative thoughts that have been inbred in me since childhood? I am certainly trying.

Was breast cancer a growth opportunity for me? I would have to say yes. It was frightening (and still is), but it made me slow down and appreciate life. We never know how long we will be here. It opened up a new world and specifically ramped up my gratitude. I wrote an article in 2019 about this, https://www.outwittinglife.com/why-does-everything-look-different/ that relates to seeing things differently after cancer.

More Growth Opportunities in Disguise

Health issues can be tricky. I know I am not responsible for getting breast cancer. However, being a diabetic and not keeping my sugars in better order is on me. The cardiologist said my high sugars contributed to plaque formation, resulting in blockages to my main artery. I feel the need to take some responsibility for that happening.

Having diabetes is challenging in that things you eat now do not affect you until later. You can indulge in a hot fudge sundae every day for a week and feel no different. But that sugar is running wild in your body, attacking everything. The day you find that out is typically when you have a stroke or heart attack. The damage has already been done.

Are Mistakes Self-Sabotage?

Having two stents placed in my heart has certainly been a growth opportunity. I am now walking daily, eating healthy, and have an appointment next week with an endocrinologist. Taking care of myself has become a new focus, and it feels good.

Have you had an event that forced you to take care of yourself better? How did you handle it? Did you have nagging negative thoughts that kept getting in your way? Could you be inadvertently self-sabotaging? I find the symptom of self-sabotage to be fascinating. It is a widespread phenomenon. Experts claim we all do it at some point, but once we recognize it, we can correct it.

I found an article on the BetterUp Blog that explains the topic of self-sabotage in-depth. According to them, “The term sabotage means to deliberately damage, block, or impair something so that it doesn’t work as intended. Even though we rarely block ourselves deliberately from getting what we want, we still might do or say things to get in our own way. You can read the article here: https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-stop-self-sabotaging

The article gives wanting to get a passport as an example of how one might self-sabotage. Your friend tells you they will get a passport and that she has set up an appointment for it. However, she misses the appointment because she never put it on her calendar. It seems like a plausible explanation, right? It turns out, she’s afraid to get her passport because she doesn’t want to be away from work and she fears not having the financial resources to go on a vacation with you. Have you ever done something like this? I bet I have!

Isn’t it amazing what your subconscious mind can do? I find it fascinating! According to many psychologists, the way to counteract this is by becoming self aware. This really peaks my interest as it insinuates people are walking around this world who do not know themselves. Doesn’t that seem strange? How can you not know you? Side Note: I’m beginning to think I should have majored in psychology in college.

Learning From Your Mistakes

The reality is that we are all complex individuals influenced by our upbringing and current surroundings. Most of our behavior is learned in childhood which is no guarantee it is correct or “right.” Yes, our parents did the best they possibly could raising us. But they could only teach what they knew and had learned from the generation before them. Sometimes that is prejudice, entitlement, or low self-esteem. The good news is that these patterns can (and should) be broken. Taking the time to work on changing to a positive mindset while learning from your mistakes is a great start.

Also, be mindful of the company you keep. Are you socializing with folks that share similar opinions and goals? Being friends with those that are negative will naturally bring you down. Find your people where you feel comfortable being you.

Please leave a comment and let me know if any of this resonates with you. I am going to continue on my positive mindset journey as I believe it will make me a better person. Thanks for reading my blog today!