“Make Space Mondays”. It has a nice ring to it, eh? I’ll be starting a series of posts every other Monday about something either in our mental space or our physical environment that we can make more space for. It may be deep or it may be casual and light. Consider it an invitation. An opportunity. An opportunity to start the week with intention. I liken it to the motto of Never Miss a Monday in the exercise world. Let’s cultivate some good habits (I’m right there with you) to get our heads, hearts, and spaces ready to make the most of our week. What a gift it is that we get to start a new week with fresh perspective, letting go of last week’s mistakes or trials and embracing the blessings that this week, this day, this moment brings.
Make Space For Mistakes.
Ever heard of the growth mindset? Carol Dweck wrote a great book about it and included this: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” This mindset is in opposition to a fixed mindset, the belief that you either are or aren’t good at something, based on your inherent nature. The schools are really focusing on this recently – cultivating a growth mindset in our kiddos, encouraging them to try something new and allowing them to fail without anyone sweeping in to save them to make it all better. Here, in this space, resilience develops.
The growth mindset not only allows for, but welcomes, mistakes. What if our babies gave up at walking after failing the first few times? They’re not over there sitting in their high chairs condemning themselves. They get up and try again! And they eventually succeed! Maybe it’s in that moment, or later that day, or not for another month or two. They don’t understand timelines. They just move. And try. One step at a time. Without judgment. Without comparison.
Let’s show ourselves that same grace. Give yourselves a darn break. Screw something up! Better yet, let your kids see you screw something up and react kindly toward yourself when you do. Failing doesn’t mean we ARE a failure. It has nothing to do with our worth. It just means we are learning something new or that we are working on something that may not come naturally to us. Couldn’t we all use some more of this in our lives? Go forward this Monday with grace, friends. You deserve it.