Recently, my friend Jean caught a
debilitating cold. Per doctor’s orders, she was placed on bed rest
for several days. Eventually, she recovered. Jean may catch another cold,
but probably not
the exact same one she just experienced. Why? Because
her body is now immune to the particular virus that caused her
cold. Jean’s cold inspired me to reflect on a popular quote by Carl
Jung, “What you resist, persists.” Let’s discuss….
According to Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, the hero must embark on the Road of Trials.
Trials are tests the hero must go through to earn transformation. There’s
usually tension and suffering. Each step along the journey increases in
difficulty until the goal is attained. The hero must do inner work and discover
areas where he/she is stuck and need healing and growth. If the hero resists the
trials or refuses to learn from mistakes, then the tests will persist and
repeat itself in different forms until the lesson is learned.
Learning From Mistakes Is Like
Recovering From a Cold
When we catch a cold, our body
realizes a ‘problem’ exists. Not only does our immune system work to rid
itself of the virus, but it also develops antibodies which may prevent the same
cold from happening twice.
Learning from mistakes is like
recovering from a cold. The consequences of an error can leave us
emotionally and physically weak. If we resist the
reality that we made a mistake, then the pain persists. When we
learn from our mistakes, we create mental ‘antibodies’ which gives us tools to
make better choices. Ideally, we would not make the same mistake
twice. However, we are human. Some tests are difficult to learn and
require multiple iterations before we understand what we are doing
wrong. Be patient.
To Get it Together, First Fall Apart
The flip side of “What you resist,
persists” could be “What you face, gives grace.” In order to recover from her
cold, Jean was on bed rest for several days. Likewise, we need time to
emotionally process the aftermath of unfavorable consequences. Scream. Yell. Cry. Grieve. Listen to sad songs. Write or read poetry. Go
dancing. Take a trip. Meditate. Ask for help. Reflect on what happened and
why. Take the necessary time needed to connect with your inner pain. Resisting
the pain, delays learning the lesson.
Life is a Learning Experience
At birth, we had limited skills.
Whatever you are able to do now, you had to learn how to do it. Be gentle with
yourself as you learn from mistakes. Constantly forgive.
Thanks for commenting.
Copyright, 2019
Copyright, 2019
References:
Oops! Retrieved from https://www.needpix.com/photo/650884/oops-surprise-sticky-note-pink
"What You Resist, Persists" by Carl
Jung Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/13440498871462032/?lp=true