In the UBC (Ultimate Blog Challenge) today, we are asked to blog (again) on a mistake I made and how I worked through it. Dang it. Not my favorite topic and we have been assigned it twice!!
I resisted writing this most of the day. I’m not sure what this is about, as I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes. But highlight them on the internet? How much more vulnerable do I need to be? Since it seems hard to write about one of my mistakes, maybe I should list many of them?
Let’s go and see what happens!
My mistakes timeline
Mistake #1: Marrying when I was in my 20s. I was too immature and not ready to be a wife. I had sex with one man in college and then I married him. I regretted not “sowing my oats”. However, I don’t regret the marriage because he is a wonderful person and I was the brat in the relationship.
Mistake #2: Marrying when I was in my 30s. I rushed into this marriage because of lust and wanted a baby soon! Well, I married a headache but had a beautiful baby. I don’t regret the marriage despite us being oil and water. Can the two marriages be mistakes if I ended up with Lena?
Mistake #3: I dated a married Marine when I lived in Okinawa. He lied and said he was divorced. My heart and Lena’s heart were broken. Lesson learned: ask to see divorce papers.
Mistake #4: Working on a PhD at a non accredited university. Nothing much to say about this. Student loans up the ass. I adopted Grace and withdrew from the school once I learned the degree would not scale up my career. A cute, precious baby girl was a much better decision for me.
Mistake #5: Moving back to Woodbridge. I couldn’t afford being a single mother with two little girls, mortgage, car payment, student loans, etc. Daycare was triple what I paid in Okinawa and I didn’t have adequate support. The girls and I struggled tremendously. I regretted leaving our comfy, safe, and fun lifestyle in Japan. However, can I really regret this when I ended up meeting Tony and having baby Gideon? I don’t think so. My mistakes have led me to the life I have now.
I think you get it. I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes but do believe I was supposed too. How else could I ended up with an amazing spouse and three beautiful children? How else would I become an entrepreneur to write books and blogs and run my podcast?
Other fun mistakes
- One night in highschool I drank too much and peed the bed.
- I stuck my hand into a potato harvester to retrieve my jacket and badly crushed a finger.
- I ran into an electricity box at a partime job and all the lights went out in the building.
- I dinged our garage door a teenie tiny bit.
I hope my post helps you to feel a little less resistant in sharing your mistakes. Humans make them and we make many of them.
Have a mistake you would like to get off your chest? Leave it in the comment box below.
