I Hate Mistakes!

Blame it on my “only child” personality, but I am hard on myself when it comes to mistakes.  I don’t like ‘em!  I want to avoid ‘em.  I have been learning to be easier on myself and admit that it’s ok to make mistakes.  I’m learning it’s ok to laugh at myself sometimes, and that I don’t always have to do things perfectly.  Sometimes (gasp) I aim at 80%, instead of expecting perfection.

Ok, I am being light hearted about it, but it is a struggle for me.  Some areas are easier than others to accept, though.  I don’t care if I miss patches when I cut the lawn.  I don’t care if my van isn’t clean ( good thing too, if you could see it!)  I don’t expect my hair or make up to be perfect.  But, for me, doing the “right thing” is very important. 

I have been learning, that sometimes, I just need to admit that I have been doing something wrong, correct course from where I am, and move on.  I have to stop beating myself up, because, hey! I’m only human.  There are some areas, though, where that is harder.

Parenting, for one.  Oh, it’s EASY for me to admit where I have done, or am currently doing stuff wrong.  But it’s not always easy to see where I should go from that point on.  It’s hard to see what is the best course sometimes, and this is one thing I want to do well.  I am trying to take Dr. Kevin Lehman’s advice and stop aiming for being a perfect parent and be a “good enough” parent.  I make lots of mistakes, and I am able to admit that, even to my kids, and ask for forgiveness when I’ve done wrong. ( He has lots of great books on all kinds of topics by the way)

Money is another one of these areas for me.  I want to do this right.  I want to to stop making the mistakes we have made in the past.  The right road is a bit clearer on this one : stop over spending, plan better and save.  Easier said than done, but I know what I am SUPPOSED to do!  Admitting this one, however, is harder.  It’s hard on my pride to admit I can’t afford some things.  It’s hard to tell my kids about the mistakes we’ve made with money, but important.  It just makes me feel so stupid to look back and see how many BIG mistakes we made, and if I had a time machine, I would slap my 19 year old self on the head!!

Why do money mistakes make us feel so stupid?  Lots of people I talk to say they hate discussing options at a bank,or with a financial planner, that handling money makes us feel inadequate and stupid.  Why does this area, more than so many others, hold such power to influence how we feel about ourselves as a person?