Daily Gratitude: Be like a turtle, stick your neck out. I came across this concept from someone who was trying to explain that it’s ok to make mistakes.

They said that we should embrace those mistakes and instread of receding and pulling into our shamed self-centered world, we should look for the opportunity or gift in them

This is similar to the ancient teaching that in every adversity there is a seed of equivalent benefit. It was popularized by Napoleon Hill but it goes back even further.

Whenever you make a mistake, you can acknowledge it and if it affected someone else apologize for it but otherwise shake it off and say “what now?

What can I make of this?

How can I turn this into something wonderful?

Often when you make a mistake, your natural response Is to run away and hide.

You’re embarrassed and you just know people will think badly of you and oh, how they’ll talk.

Even though this is a natural reaction, work hard to overcome that and stand up straight, letting others know that you’re human too.

It probably will strengthen whatever connection you have with the people you’ve foundered in front of.

This becomes easier if you let go of outcomes and cultivate a flexible mindset.

When you’re not so attached to a partciular outcome, you can be freer and can accept whatever happens.

Sure, you should still have goals.

This is not license to just give up.

It’s simply encouragement to realize you can make something good out of that which initially appears bad.

I can’t do this but think of someone you know who is a good cook and can take anything sitting in the refrigerator, no matter what it looks like, add it to other ingredients and come out with something that’s actually pretty tasty. The only outcome that person is attached to is to not make others sick.

Sure that person would like it to taste good and will put all their skills into doing that but if it doesn’t taste the way someone else thought it was going to, then that’s not a big problem. Next time the cook may try something else. It’s not the end of the world.

That’s where the turtle part comes in. Turtles can’t make any progress unless they stick their necks out.

When they’ve pulled the head inside they are protecting themselves. We may laugh because turtles look so funny but you know what.

We do the same thing.

We withdraw to protect ourselves too.

Why not vow to be a turtle and stick your neck out when there’s something you’d really like to do but before today, you’d shy away from it because a) you didn’t know if you could do it. Well you didn’t know you could walk when you were a baby either did you and b) you’re afraid of other people’s reactions if you were to try and fail.

Think back to when you had a burning desire to do something and nothing could get in your way.

Did you think about what other people were thinking then? Heck no. So why are you using that as an excuse now?

Why not have a turtle day which could lead to a turtle week and maybe even a turtle month…and then god forbid maybe a turtle life!

Take a day and say “I’m not going to be afraid of anything. I’m just going to do what I’ve wanted to do and not worry about other people.

Can you do that?