Allowing your poor decisions to hold you hostage?!? Sure you are, most people won’t allow themselves to sit in that truth and that’s not a healthy choice… In order to be the best you that you can be, it’s important to give yourself permission to be honest with yourself… I know society goes against being authentically you, but it is okay to be YOU!!! Now I’m sure there are some days you feel like your life is on pause due to a poor decision {at least I know I have those days}… However, there may be someone out there who’s life is worse off due to a poor choice he/she made… I’ll share an example with you… When I graduated from my Masters program, I waited almost three years to sit for my state board exam {very poor decision, I could have obtained my licence sooner than later}… Most of my classmates took their board exam six months to a year post graduation… For a long period of time I allowed test anxiety and self-doubt to hold me hostage… I was STUCK, literally!! Finally, I pushed past my fears {with the help of my loving husband, son, parents, and encouraging friends} and set my goal for myself… I scheduled my exam, dedicated hours to study, and took {passed} my exam… I’m going to give you three ways to move forward after making a poor decision…

BE MINDFUL…

What is mindfulness?!? My definition of Mindfulness is simply being aware, being present in the current moment, and being able to acknowledge certain areas of your life {emotions, desires, needs, judgments, etc.}… I can not express how important it was for me to be mindful of what was hindering me from sitting for my exam… Mindfulness is priceless because it affords you the opportunity to acknowledge what is holding you hostage to begin with… Please know that it runs deeper than just the choices {decisions} you make… You made the choice {decision} for a reason… Pay attention to the reason{s} why… Take the time to be in the moment long enough to point out the why’s, 👉YOU 👈deserve it!! By doing so, you will find opportunities to learn from those poor decisions… I know it worked for me… I challenge you to make that list of why’s… What choices will you make today to allow your tomorrow to be better?!?

BE FORGIVING…

How do I forgive myself for being so stupid?!? Sound familiar 😞?!? I’m sure it does… You may not have used the word “stupid” but I’m sure you have had moments where you just couldn’t believe you let yourself do THAT… Only you know what “THAT” is… I’m here to encourage you that it is possible for you to forgive yourself for making “THAT” poor decision!! It is not only POSSIBLE, it is NECESSARY!! It’s so necessary your mental self depends on it!! Forgiving yourself is like looking yourself in the mirror and reciting that positive affirmation “I love myself.” If you haven’t tried reciting positive affirmations after a poor decision {or just because, without making a poor decision}, I challenge you to do so ASAP!! I can’t express to you how much of an impact positive affirmations can do for your emotional self!! It is important to know that holding on to self-guilt and self-judgments can be very harmful… It may cause you to remain in emotional bondage… By forgiving yourself after a mess up, you are allowing yourself to be free to live in the present moment and make decisions that will render altered outcomes!!

BE WILLING…

Are you willing to make a commitment to think things through?!? Are you willing to give yourself permission to be imperfect!! Are you willing to give yourself a break?!? Are you willing to grow your character?!? Push past those undesired outcomes and work proactively to pursue your desired outcomes… Lets face it ya’all, we are human and poor decisions come with being human… I know it’s disappointing 😒 But that’s just the way it is… Once that poor decision is made, it’s important to be willing to dissect that bad boy and pick out the pros and cons… By doing so, you are validating why you made the decision in the first place and willingly overcoming those poor decisions… Be willing to give yourself a break because if you knew it was the wrong decision you wouldn’t have made it in the first place… After all, who wants to outlive a poor decision?!? I sure don’t because it takes🕒 WAY toooooo LONG!! To sum it all up, I’m encouraging all readers, be willing to do what it takes to move past the hiccup {poor decision} and focus on what you want your end results to look 👀 like…

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson