You do realize that you are human and that you will make mistakes? Right? I’ve got a little secret, so is everyone else. Everyone you live with, work with, interact with.
There are a lot of people that might act like they have it all together but I can promise you that they don’t. They might have experienced major trauma in their past, they might be dealing with mental health issues, they might be fighting with their family, they might just not like the outfit they put on today, they might not be feeling well, they might be resentful because of experience earlier in their day, they might be trying to live up to unrealistic standards others set for them. Some people deal with their issues by being mean, sad, upset and others try to mask the feelings by being over the top peppy. Either way, everyone is dealing with something.
There are a select few people out in the world that come pretty close to “perfect” but they go out of their way to work on improving areas that they identify as pitfalls (seeing a therapist, regular medical check-ups, getting a good stylist, etc.). They also acknowledge that they will never be “perfect” and are okay with that.
It’s important to remember that you need to be easy on yourself and everyone else in your life. It doesn’t matter if you cross paths for five seconds or fifty years – in person or online.
Give everyone the benefit of the doubt, understand that everyone is going through something (including yourself). It might feel like some people have trivial issues but those trivial issues might stem from something deeper that you know nothing about.
There will be days when things go perfectly smooth and there will be days when the shit absolutely hits the fan. Treat both good and bad situations like learning opportunities. Instead of being judgemental, be understanding.
I am a perfectionist and I still make mistakes. I work really hard to be one of the most detail-oriented and buttoned-up people you will meet. It happens.
For a very long time, I didn’t let people in on the icky stuff in my life. I still struggle with it. I have a very hard time talking to anyone about anything “hard” and when I do, I turn it into a joke because I don’t like the way the hard stuff makes me feel. I didn’t talk about what made me uncomfortable or upset. I let that shit sink real deep down. Real deeeeep down.
Then one day I realized that EVERYONE has stuff. It’s okay to feel. It’s okay to get upset, angry, jealous, mad, happy. You are allowed to feel it all. EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO FEEL THE WAY THEY WANT BECAUSE EVERYONE IS HUMAN. Your mom, your teacher, your kids, your boss, your coworker, the cashier, athletes, politicians…everyone.
Everyone should be granted the opportunity to live and work in a place that understands that we are all humans and that we must make mistakes to grow.
If I teach you anything, my hope is that you learn to be a little softer with others. Give a little more grace. Lend a listening ear. Be a friend.
Allow others to be human and give yourself the same opportunity.
Don’t be so hard on yourself or others.
Love Always,
Mandy
Minute with Mandy 