Be a Goldfish

I made a mistake at work last week. 

It was fairly sizeable.  I overlooked a detail that caused inconvenience for my team and one of our partners.  It was my fault entirely; an oversight on my part.

Now comes the hard part – trying to forget it and move on.  I tend to stew on things.  Anyone else struggle with that???  I have no idea why I do that but it is beyond annoying.  Why can’t I just acknowledge and go forward? 

I have been spending a lot of quality time with my paper shredder in the name of cleaning out my basement.  I am shredding old documents from the coffee shop and bakery my husband and I owned and operated many years ago.  While we learned a lot from that experience and we’re grateful for it, the business ultimately failed.  As I am going through the old files, I am reminded of that time, both the good and the bad. 

More things to stew about.

But I have a new motto I am embracing in these moments – be a goldfish.  That is, acknowledge it and move on.  There is no point in stressing over things that are in the past.  Or things we have no control over.  As Coach Ted Lasso explains, the goldfish is the happiest animal on earth due to its very short memory.  Be a goldfish.

Forgiveness and grace are a big part of self-care.  It’s important to not only extend these to others; it is crucial to give them to ourselves.   

What can you let go of today?  How can you be a goldfish?