Inner Critic Strikes Again
One of the most destructive communication issues is the one that we have with ourselves when we get stuck in regret. Regret is a form of self-criticism. Regretting our choices from the past keeps us locked into a negative feeling. Our goal as humans is to grow and develop by learning from our successes and our mistakes alike. That is how we make progress. Making ourselves miserable from past experiences hampers our growth. What if we learned from our mistakes and began to feel good about them? Would our mistakes be any less joyous than our successes? It is through our challenging experiences along the way that we develop ourselves.
The Ultimate Gift in Love and Relationships
In the movie, The Ultimate Gift, a multi-billionaire (portrayed by James Garner) realized that he had been doing a disservice to his grandson, Jason, by giving him a credit card with no limit. Rather than staying stuck in regret, he decided to correct the problem by setting up a will that came with conditions. When the grandfather died, in order for Jason to receive his share of the willed inheritance, he had to meet 12 specific challenges within a year, each centered around a valuable life lesson in love and relationships. This became Jason’s rite of passage into a better life. The ultimate gift was not the money, but the golden opportunity that the grandfather gave his grandson to unleash and develop his genuine, loving self by overcoming obstacles along the way.
Law of Attraction Brings New Opportunities
Many times the feeling of regret runs deep because we make ourselves believe that we’ve ruined an opportunity that will never come again. However, the truth is as we forgive ourselves and STAY OPEN to receiving what we want, then the law of attraction will continue to bring to us an endless supply of beneficial opportunities! By staying stuck in negativity, no matter what form it takes, we disallow the real gift of developing the astute and discerning awareness that comes from direct experience. Even though we don’t often want to admit it, we seek positive challenges to strengthen our self-esteem and appreciate our efforts even more deeply.
Fears and Anxiety Vanish
Our fears and anxiety disappear as we focus our intentions on positive outcomes when meeting adversity. When we choose to positively learn from our challenges, our regret transforms into gratitude. We are then making a difference not only in our own lives but indirectly in the lives of others. This is the best of all worlds! This is how life becomes an honest to goodness, living and breathing, real life, fun adventure. How about that for living the authentic life?!
Actually that movie Ultimate Gift is one of my favorites. Really has an important message about learning from our mistakes and recognizing the real value of our challenges. Thanks Val for this great post.