Oops!
“Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.”
Basic Text, p. 23
Mistakes! We all know how it feels to make them. Many of us feel that our entire
lives have been a mistake. We often regard our mistakes with shame or guilt-at the
very least, with frustration and impatience. We tend to see mistakes as evidence that
we are still sick, crazy, stupid, or too damaged to recover.
In truth, mistakes are a very vital and important part of being human. For
particularly stubborn people (such as addicts), mistakes are often our best teachers.
There is no shame in making mistakes. In fact, making new mistakes often shows
our willingness to take risks and grow.
It’s helpful, though, if we learn from our mistakes; repeating the same ones may be
a sign that we’re stuck. And expecting different results from the same old mistakeswell, that’s what we call “insanity!” It just doesn’t work.
Just for today: Mistakes aren’t tragedies. But please, Higher Power, help me learn
from them!