Growing from our mistakes!

684. Om raja-rajesvaryai namah: I bow down to Amma who is the ruler of kings and emperors.

An article by Amma: (Much needed thoughts today. Amma just always knows!)

Children, making mistakes is part of life. We may have character flaws as well. When people commit mistakes, experience failures or downfalls, their first response is to try to defend themselves. As much as possible, they try to hide their failures. They also try to justify their actions, pointing out that other people are making mistakes as well.
However, if we respond in this manner we will never learn to overcome our negativities. For example, although it is true that bitter experiences in one’s childhood can have lasting effects on one’s psyche, if one just blames his parents then the problems will never be rectified. On the contrary, those problems can even become acute and for which his adult relationships will suffer.

Once a doctor was examining a patient. When the examination was finished, the doctor told him, “This is a hereditary disease, and therefore it will be very difficult to cure it completely.”The patient responded: “Okay, if that’s the case, please send the bill to my parents.”
In the patient’s attempt to attribute responsibility for his condition away from himself, he failed to focus on the one truly relevant aspect: what he could do to control the disease.
It would have been so much more beneficial if he had inquired about how he could he mitigate his illness through diet, exercise and medication. Unfortunately, when it comes to our own negativities and problems, many of us fail to truly confront the situation and instead react like this patient.
The reason we try to hide our failures and accuse others for our mistakes is because of our pride and ego. So, if we want to succeed in life—both spiritually and materially—we have to overcome these factors.
When we experience such failures, we must learn to look within and understand the nature of our negativities and limitations.
Only once we have accepted that we have a problem and that its source is within our own mind can we put forth the requisite honest effort to overcome the problem.
Never blame others for your weaknesses. Never run and hide from them. If we can keep an open heart, accept responsibility for our own faults and put in earnest effort with an attitude of graciousness, we can overcome any negativity or limitation.

Om Amriteswariye namah!