Except, that time you did.
We've all done it, looked at someone and judged them.
Whether that be their actions, their behaviour or a snippet of a story we've heard about them...
Judgement kicks in...
"How could they do that?"
"What's wrong with them?"
"Are they that selfish?"
But, we forget that one time (let's be honest, probably not just that one time)...
Where we made a mistake too.
Where we did the thing we thought we would never do.
That time, when we weren't so high up on our pedestal. The time we weren't looking down at others...
Yeah, that time...
The time you did the thing...
That thing you don't like...
That thing you pretend didn't happen...
That thing that feels so heavy when you think about it...
Because you would never do something like, would you?
Except...
That time you did.
And you hope you wouldn't do it again.
But we are human, and with being human, sometimes we are lead with our emotions or our fears...
And we make decisions, choices and mistakes we thought we would never make.
But we did...
And I don't think there is any harm in remembering that.
I heard a quote this weekend from the movie Jurassic Park.
John Hammond:
"I don't blame people for their mistakes, but I do ask that they pay for them."
I think this is so beautifully put.
We all make mistakes; its part of being human, and living in a constant state of blame is just not helpful.
However, we have to take responsibility for the mistakes we make.
Our mistakes may hurt others; they may harm ourselves, so we have to own them.
We have to acknowledge them, and then we can learn from them.
It takes real courage to say, "I am sorry, I made a mistake".
Even to ourselves.
But that is the key to moving on, to learning and forgiving.
Forgiveness is such a fantastic tool in life and something that needs its own blog, but for now, I will sum up...
We don't always have to forgive someone else's actions, but there is power in letting it go.
Letting go, so we can move on. Letting go so we don't torture ourselves for the things that have already happened.
Maybe, the way we have behaved or how we have allowed others to behave towards us.
That constant cycle of regret and guilt, that battle we keep having with ourselves, the one we keep replaying, over and over.
The one we need to let go.
There comes a time when we need to forgive ourselves. To stop reliving the pain of their actions, or even our own.
We have all done things we are not proud of.
We have all done things we regret...
There will have been times when you've been nasty and hurt someone by your actions...
Or said something to make someone feel bad.
So the next time you look at someone and think, "I would never do that."
Remember that time when you did.
When you made a mistake too.
And ask yourself, is this something you are ready to let go of, is there something you need to forgive yourself for?
Here's to love, laughter and living your happily ever after..... Love Chelsea xxx