I used to hate mistakes. They made me feel bad. They were evidence of my inadequacies. My natural inclination and default reaction was to ignore, fear and deny them. I would say, “Great, another mistake.” 😠
But there is a better way than to ignore, fear, and deny; it is to recognize, welcome, and embrace.
However, prodigious practice is required to find this better way; this prodigious practice is found in habitual inventories.
1. With habitual inventories, I recognize my mistakes, which is the first step.
2. Then, carefully studying the exact nature of the mistakes, I see them for what they are, and lose my fear.
3. Third, by making continuous corrections for the mistakes, I see their value and embrace them.
When I continuously inventory my personal life, I say, “Great, another mistake.” 😄
I say it with 😄 because seeing my mistakes brings me closer to my Higher Power.
When I see I have wandered off the beam, I correct course and steer back. This conscious correction makes me fully aware of my right and proper track. And the course correction inoculates me against complacency, reminding me of my frailty and weakness and my need for a power greater than myself.
There is another benefit.
Continuous inventories reveal my mistakes and my reaction to my mistakes. The reaction, 😠 or 😁, reveals my commitment to Step Two and Step Three. If I believe I can be restored to sanity and clean thinking, and I have turned my will and my life over to the care and protection of a loving God, then it is easy to recognize, welcome and embrace my errors and the lessons thereof. Then I can say, “Great, another mistake.” 😄
However, If I don’t believe I can be restored or that I can only be restored with the harsh punishment of a demanding and intemperate God, then my reaction is fear. This fear leads to refusing to do more inventories – ignoring, avoiding, denying, and refusing to embrace the errors. I find myself saying, “Great, another mistake.” 😠
Therefore, the exact nature of the lesson in this note is continuous inventories. Inventories are the sine qua non of recognizing, welcoming, and embracing my mistakes, so when I make a mistake, I can say, “Great, another mistake.” 😁
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Sometimes you bring such clarity Andy! This is one of those times. Thank you.