A Valuable Lesson From Nicolas Cole

On-line writing guru Nicolas Cole schooled me today in our weekly Ship 30 for 30 tutorial. 

My biggest fear is learning lots of new tech quickly. Sure enough I imported my essay in the template converter and my text shrunk by 50%. 

In my panic I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I posted anyway, because in Ship 30 for 30 you have to write no matter what AND you have to ship no matter what. 

In our break out session today I asked Cole whether I should fix the post. 

"Why not always be looking forward? Why look backwards?" He said. 

Cole's comment was so freeing. 

Some mistakes are worthy of corrections. Some are not. 

Letting an immaterial mistake live is a healthy reminder that I'm not perfect, that mastery takes time, and that I know my priorities. 

What's done is done. 

You can come to terms with the past, but you can't undo it. 

Amends can be made, silver linings can be found, and lessons can be absorbed. 

Our brains are wired to be risk averse. We prefer the known to the unknown, the static to the changing, the black and white to the ambiguous. 

It's easier for us to dwell on the known past than the unknown future. 

We get stuck if we can't accept our mistakes. Trying to erase a past imperfection is a form of self-censure. Try self-acceptance instead.