Our mistakes open us to new knowledge!

Our mistakes open us to new knowledge.

It is why in spiritual work mistakes are considered the greatest gift to our evolutionary growth. We cannot gain understanding of life nor gather wisdom without them. Yet so many try to hide their mistakes or shift responsibility for them onto others, never learning the true lessons, never gaining the knowledge so desperately needed to be truly happy.

I had a wonderful session with a lovely young man the other day who was originally from another part of the world, a part of the world where introspection is more valued than outer appearances.  He came to me for work on his confidence.  As I went through my usual consult about the mind and how it shapes our self-esteem and the behavior patterns that underpin our personality, he made a comment about how confident Americans are. He found it challenging to speak up as we do and put forth his opinions in his work because of it.  My reply was that we Americans could use a good dose of listening and observing before speaking, that what would make the world more balanced is if we could put all humans in a bag and shake them up, then perhaps we would all come out balanced.

Truthfully though, that false confidence, a shield of protection that prevents us from truly seeing clearly, is not self-esteem.  It is self-esteem that leads to real confidence and an openness to the understanding of the value of our mistakes, the humility they create and the opening of the heart that results in the new higher knowledge that flowers within our mind.  True self-esteem is reflected in the individual who has an open heart, full of humility, that beneficently bestows their wisdom gained by this new knowledge, through every thought, word and deed expressed in their daily interaction with others. For it is in the smallest things that we have the greatest impact on the world.

Having the courage to ackowledge our weaknesses and work upon transforming them, is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and the world around us.