"It's okay to make a mistake!"

Have you ever done something and immediately or even days, months or years later wished you could get a do over?

Mistakes - we all make them. We all suffer the consequences of them. But, do we all get forgiven for them or better yet, do we forgive others for their mistakes?

I have to admit, I have a bit of OCD and I absolutely hate making a mistake. It doesn't matter how small it is either. Even the "don't sweat the small stuff" size I still find myself not just sweating but sometimes down right hyperventilating over having made.

The reality, however, is that this is a far from perfect world. We are all going to make our share and sometimes 10 times our share of mistakes. And, we will most likely make so many we won't ever be able to remember them all.

Some of them will stick to us like glue. Staying right there in the back of our mind and causing us anxiety and worry - all over something we can't go back and "not do".

People like to say not to worry or stress over things, but the truth is I think everyone does it. There are just some who handle it better than others.

And let's not forget the ones who refuse to allow us to forget those missteps of life. I guess they must be some of the few "perfect" ones I have heard about. I don't think I've every really met one of them though.

We would all be better off if we realize not only for what we do or don't do and for what others are doing that mistakes are just that - mistakes. They are an important and vital part of learning and growing. And we should not be wasting our time fearing them or doing everything we can to avoid them.

Don't get me wrong, if it's something simple and you can fix it before it happens - by all means - fix it. But don't waste your time and energy worrying about avoiding something that is most likely out of your control.

You see, we are all human, and as such we will make mistakes. It is unavoidable. It will happen. And it usually occurs at the most inopportune times. It's simple - mistakes will and do happen.

I heard someone say once that it is best to "forget the mistake, but remember the lesson learned from it." That is a positive consequence from making mistakes after all - if you are able to learn and improve after having made one.

Don't spend your time beating yourself up, beating someone else up or for heaven's sake - letting someone else beat you up (figuratively of course) because you made a mistake. I would venture to say if the one pointing the finger took a second to think about it they would realize they have made a few, too. All they really have to do if they are looking for someone who has made a mistake or two they have but to look in the mirror.

It really is okay to make a mistake. It's okay to have a bad day. It's okay, believe it or not to be less than perfect. What's not okay is letting it destroy you or letting someone else destroy you for having made one.