Don’t let mistakes rob you of the beauty found in the present moment.
I took the afternoon to explore Cascais, a beach town 20 minutes by train from Lisbon. As I settled into my seat I scrolled through several podcasts I had downloaded back at home. I smiled as I scanned the choices. Like a kid in a candy store. I could listen to podcasts all day if I wanted. I inhaled deeply and chose.
My phone was at 82% charge. No problem. I brought my portable charger. As I pulled the cord and charger out of my bag, my smile vanished. “Crud,” I sighed. I brought the wrong cord.
Unless I put my phone on airplane mode, it would die before I got back to my Airbnb. I winced. “What if my son tries to call me from college? Or my other son has an emergency while he’s traveling through England?” I felt my chest tighten. “Just go back to the Airbnb. You don’t need to go to Cascais.”
Making a mistake (grabbing the wrong cord) triggered my inner critic and the limiting belief that I don’t deserve an afternoon to play and discover the beauty of Portugal. Fear and false beliefs stopped me from enjoying the present moment.
Create an empowering belief.
What if I believed my sons are
naturally creative, resourceful and whole?
This question interrupted the negative self-talk long enough for me to come up with other options:
• Turn my phone on every 30 minutes and check for messages
• Look for a store that sells phone charger cords
• Remember that my sons learned how to dial 911 at the age of four
I also recalled what my friend Linda recently said to me. “There is no real threat going on externally. Just the ones in your head.”
I put my phone on airplane mode and enjoyed the ride.
Use empowering beliefs to change your customary reactions to life’s glitches.
