The Importance of Self-Forgiveness and Credit

What do we not give ourselves enough credit for? This is a really good question, and one that I've been thinking about lately. It's not what we don't give ourselves credit for, but rather what we don't forgive ourselves for. Our life is a series of mistakes, and we are imperfect beings in progress. I am like everybody else in this regard, and there have been times when I can sit and look back at things that I have done in my life that I am NOT proud of. Friendships that I've harmed through inaction or action, people that don't feel like they got properly treated on my watch - these are moments that I feel shame over, and moments that make me sad.

I want to repair those things, but I also recognize that that's also part of what's called being a human. To me, it's you know we all have to recover from that kind of stuff. We all have to learn to forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and to find a way to move forward. This is not an easy process, and it takes time and effort. But it's one that I believe is essential for living a happy and fulfilling life.

One thing that I've come to realize is the importance of simply trying things in themselves. Trying stuff, without any expectations or outcomes in mind. My favorite thing about talking about making is actually talking about corrugated cardboard and tape. The threshold is zero - everyone's house has way too many Amazon boxes in it already. It's time to make armor and Ironman armor and all sorts of machines and devices out of that cardboard. Because just starting is a really powerful act. This is something that I believe can be applied to any area of life.

There's a great quote from Goethe that I've been thinking about lately, although I'm not sure what the full quote is - only the finish of it, which reads: "boldness has genius power and magic in it." Simply literally opening up a page and starting to make a drawing is itself a really powerful act. And then turning the page to make a new one isn't a failure of the previous page - it's another powerful act. That thing that's in front of you right now, it is the most important thing in the world while you're doing it.

I find this quote incredibly inspiring, and I believe it can be applied to any situation. Whether it's making art, or working on a project, or simply trying something new - the act of starting is what makes it all possible. And once we start, we have to keep going, no matter what. This is a mindset that I've tried to adopt in my own life, and one that I believe has helped me to be more productive and successful.

Of course, there are also times when we need to take a step back and rest. When we're feeling burned out or overwhelmed, it's essential to give ourselves permission to take a break. This is something that I've been doing lately - taking days off from work to go to the park with my dogs, or napping in between. It sounds indulgent, but trust me, it's necessary.

I'm addicted to getting stuff done, and sometimes this means putting other things on the back burner. But even when I'm not feeling like doing anything, I know that I have to push through. Because that's what gets things done, and that's what makes life worth living. And at the end of the day, it's not about getting everything done - it's about making progress, no matter how small.

So what do we not give ourselves enough credit for? I think it's time to start giving ourselves more credit for our mistakes. For trying new things, and taking risks. For being imperfect, and for learning from our errors. Because in the end, it's these things that make us human - and it's them that will ultimately lead us to growth and happiness.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat do we not give ourselves enough credit for oh that is such a really good question I'm I'm I'm gonna change I'm gonna let's see what tickles in my head about this is not what we don't give ourselves credit for but what we don't forgive ourselves for our life is a series of mistakes we are imperfect beings in progress I am and I am like everybody else in this regard and there have been times when I can sit and look back at things that I have done in my life that I am NOT proud of friendships that I've harmed through inaction or action people that don't feel like they got properly treated on my watch and I feel shame over those moments I feel sad about those I want to repair those things but I also recognize that that's also part of what's called being a human and to me it's you know we all have to recover from that kind of stuff I what don't we give ourselves enough credit for you know just trying stuff in and of itself is really important just trying stuff I mean my favorite thing about talking about making is talking about corrugated cardboard and tape because the threshold the entry is zero everyone's house has way too many Amazon boxes in it already it's time to make armor and Ironman armor and all sorts of machines and devices out of that cardboard because just starting is a really really powerful act this is this is you know there's a great quote from Goethe which I can't remember all of but the finish of the quote is that boldness has genius power and magic in it and simply literally opening up a page and starting to make a drawing is itself a really powerful act and then turning the page to make a new one isn't a failure of the previous page it's another powerful act and that thing that's in front of you right now it is the most important thing in the world while you're doing it and that's that's that is great like that's an achievement and honestly I'm addicted to getting stuff done and I'll do things like yesterday I was taking care of my dogs and I ended up not doing much in my house but given the kind of week that I've had hold on I'll finish in just a second given the kind of week that I had I was like you know what you could use a day that you're not actually doing anything is up going to the park with the dogs a few times and napping in between because that's the kind of recuperation we need sometimes it doesn't stop me from feeling some like I really should have gotten something else done because I'm so addicted to it but yeahwhat do we not give ourselves enough credit for oh that is such a really good question I'm I'm I'm gonna change I'm gonna let's see what tickles in my head about this is not what we don't give ourselves credit for but what we don't forgive ourselves for our life is a series of mistakes we are imperfect beings in progress I am and I am like everybody else in this regard and there have been times when I can sit and look back at things that I have done in my life that I am NOT proud of friendships that I've harmed through inaction or action people that don't feel like they got properly treated on my watch and I feel shame over those moments I feel sad about those I want to repair those things but I also recognize that that's also part of what's called being a human and to me it's you know we all have to recover from that kind of stuff I what don't we give ourselves enough credit for you know just trying stuff in and of itself is really important just trying stuff I mean my favorite thing about talking about making is talking about corrugated cardboard and tape because the threshold the entry is zero everyone's house has way too many Amazon boxes in it already it's time to make armor and Ironman armor and all sorts of machines and devices out of that cardboard because just starting is a really really powerful act this is this is you know there's a great quote from Goethe which I can't remember all of but the finish of the quote is that boldness has genius power and magic in it and simply literally opening up a page and starting to make a drawing is itself a really powerful act and then turning the page to make a new one isn't a failure of the previous page it's another powerful act and that thing that's in front of you right now it is the most important thing in the world while you're doing it and that's that's that is great like that's an achievement and honestly I'm addicted to getting stuff done and I'll do things like yesterday I was taking care of my dogs and I ended up not doing much in my house but given the kind of week that I've had hold on I'll finish in just a second given the kind of week that I had I was like you know what you could use a day that you're not actually doing anything is up going to the park with the dogs a few times and napping in between because that's the kind of recuperation we need sometimes it doesn't stop me from feeling some like I really should have gotten something else done because I'm so addicted to it but yeah\n"