Mistakes Will Be Made and Other Realizations

By Every Family’s Got One Founder — Barbara Herel

I’m calling 2019 my year of “Being” – as in “being okay with my insecurities” and “being true to myself in all that I do.” As I look back over the year, there were three realizations that have truly helped me into Being and here they are: 

Mistakes Will Be Made… 

My mantra sets just the right tone to make me smile and keep me stretching the limits of my comfort zone.

I now wholeheartedly accept that mistakes are bound to happen – that carefully scheduled post somehow won’t get posted or the all-important phone call will be sent to voicemail – again (grrrrrrr) – but not to worry because Mistakes Will Be Made.

These words have been incredibly freeing. What I love so much about this mantra is…

It immediately lightens the situation.

It puts the (many) little annoyances in perspective.

It says to me, “It’s not just you, Barbara. Every creative person experiences this.”

It shouts, “Nothing is unfixable. Keep going.” Because mistakes will be made.

Make a Choice.

It’s easy to trust your gut feeling when you feel that knowing – that overwhelming sense of peace, or the definitive NO, or whatever it is inside you that says “This is the right way to go.”

But for the longest time, I lost the ability to feel my knowing. For the life of me, I couldn’t make sense of what was truly best for myself.

Every little decision felt monumental so you can probably imagine how immobilized I was on a daily basis.

I tried very hard to listen to my instinct. I tried journaling, writing pro vs. con lists. I tried sleeping on it. I tried getting advice, then sleeping on it.

Nothing worked.

So, I started making small choices. Answering yes or no to an invite, going food shopping or not food shopping – instantly.

When presented with left or right, Italian or French – I didn’t think, I chose.

Then I came to realize that even if I couldn’t feel the knowing I was making right choices for myself and that gave me confidence.

Now I find that my internal gage is up and running. And when it goes on the fritz, I know what to do. I make a choice anyway.

All Ends Well.

I recently caught the ending of Shakespeare in Love, the part where Viola and Will are saying their final, painful goodbyes. And it was this last bit of dialogue that spoke directly to my heart…

Viola: But, all ends well.

Will: How does it?

Viola: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.

It suddenly reminded me that all the things I ever truly wanted to happen, some big, some small, somehow, someway, all came into being.

In spite of those pesky life challenges, such as depression, anxiety, doubt, heartache, rejection, etc., etc… I have deep lasting love and friendship in my life, I am a mom to a most awesome daughter, I continue to create a storytelling show that reflects my sensibilities, and so on and so on when I really think about it.  

So, surrender…

to the mystery. Know that the universe is listening and supporting you.

Know that mistakes will be made, our instincts will feel like they up and left us, but still, it all ends well.

Happy, happy holidays…

my dear Family. Looking forward to celebrating EFGO with you in 2020.

I’ll have more to share with you about upcoming shows and auditions in January. Until then…