We Are All Works In Progress by Doug Grady, Author, Speaker, and Coach

We are all works in progress. Sometimes it gets a bit messy.

This sign is posted in the local shopping center near my temporary home in Huntington Beach, CA. It reminded me that personal growth isn’t always pretty.

We will make mistakes. We are not perfect. Mistakes are to be learned from and corrected. Instead what we often do is punish ourselves. Beating ourselves up tends to keep us stuck and actually increases the chance the mistake is made again.

We will have set-backs. Healthy choices and habits can be challenging to remain consistent in. Unhealthy choices on the other hand seem to always be ready to pull us back in. One unhealthy choice can lead to a series of unhealthy choices and a downward spiral.

We will have disappointments. There will be times when our best efforts simply don’t seem good enough. That little voice inside you may sigh and groan something like “What’s the use?”

Here’s the good news: we can choose to get better through these mistakes, set-backs and disappointments. First through evaluating your tendencies, then through making shifts.

Be aware of your personal tendencies. What do you tend to do when you experience mistakes, set-backs, or disappointments? What do you say to yourself? How does your experience of life tend to change? How long do you tend to remain stuck?

Given these tendencies, make shifts through asking yourself: