Portals of Discovery

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." - James Joyce

Sometimes I think that I have made more mistakes than anyone I know.  Sometimes they are blatant, you know the kind that just kick you in the face and some are more subtle, they surprise you  when you have forgotten all about them.  But the truth is, if we let them........those mistakes, big or small can take us down incredible paths.
They really can be "portals of discovery" to ourselves and our needs and wants.

One thing I have learned that I think is important......mistakes do not mean failures.  Often I think we allow our mistakes to live in our heads as failures, do you honestly know anyone who has never made a mistake?  Just as my mom and dad taught me many years ago, we have to learn from our mistakes, not dwell on them, forgive and forget......and get on with your life.

When I make a mistake, I tend to beat myself up.......do you?  The past few years have been such a learning
time for me, patience and letting go  are the biggies that keep showing up in my "portals of discovery".  This too shall pass, are words I repeat to myself quite often.......as I take deep slow breaths.

You think of the word mistake, and often you think disappointment.......but learning to let go of disappointment is a valuable lesson.......when we let of go the disappointment, we open ourselves to new and better things.....there is truth in the saying...."when one door closes, another one opens".

I love those words, "portals of discovery" ......they turn those feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing that we have when we make a mistake, into a sense of adventure, an optimistic and hopeful journey to something better.

So the next time a mistake is looming over you, and you have beaten yourself into an unrecognizable shadow of you who you once were........look for the "portal of discovery".......it's there if you allow yourself to see it.
Give yourself permission to let go, forgive and  forget..........and allow something better to come your way.
Don't forget......."portals of discovery."