Remember when you were young and you were taught, “practice makes perfect?” You were told this over and over again from childhood through adulthood.
Close your eyes for a moment and remember those moments…the pressure others placed on you, the pressure you then placed on yourself, the impact you felt when you didn’t get it right … keep them closed … take a deep breath, now another.
( 2 min meditation )
Take EVERYTHING you were taught, and throw it all away. Grace is freedom! Grace is courage. Grace is about giving yourself permission to forgive yourself of past and current mistakes and lapse in judgment.
You will miss the alarm
You will skip the gym
You will retreat back to your comfort zone
You will have a cookie before your cheat day
It is ok.
No different than we learned bad behaviors all those years ago, we can choose to adopt new behaviors. Here are 4 tangible ways to give yourself Grace:
1. Start With Gratitude
- Schedule time to practice gratitude
- Think about 3 things you’re grateful for daily
- Write gratitude letters to yourself
- Learn how to let go
- Control what you can control
- Forgive yourself for past mistakes
2. Slow down
- Make time to journal
- Be intentional about setting time aside to reflect on the day
- Practice mindfulness
3. Speak Kindly to Yourself
- Think about what you’re thinking about
- Check negative self talk
- Believe that you are worthy of grace
- Write kind reminders to yourself
4. Ditch perfection
- Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes progress !
- Progress is the Goal, Not Perfection
Remember who you are, and whose you are. So often we define ourselves by what we accomplished, or not. This limits our ability to see that we are so much more than what we managed to complete today. It’s really ok to remind yourself just how dope you truly are.
