there's a way to stop the slippery slope

slippery slope, 08.17.09, a photo by kari maxwell on Flickr.

We all have slips.  Usually they pop up when we least expect them.  SERIOUSLY.  Slips still throw me for a loop.  I can be truckin' along at a good pace in life, practicing balance and placing all my energy where I want to, where I feel I need to, and then, all of the sudden, I have a slip.  All of the sudden, I am participating in something that I don't want to do, that isn't beneficial to me, my process or anyone else.  And this happens.  It happens to the best of us.  It will continue to happen too.  This is what I have found to be the key, however.  It's what we do after the slip that counts.

Usually, when I have a slip, I will obsess about it, beat myself up for it, run the scenario through my mind over and over again until I have felt remorse too many times to count (by the way, Vernon Howard refers to these as "mental movies...a misuse of the imagination - super brilliant and great image, I think).  It doesn't really matter how major or minor the slip.  Either one can easily turn into a slippery slope.  

How to stop the slope from slipping?  Acknowledge  the slip.  Share it with someone.  If there is clean up to do, clean up.  Brush your hands of it and move on.  Don't take it with you.  I like to make a statement out loud of some sort.  I usually say something like "I took a little detour there and I am ready to be re-routed again, NOW."  It can be as simple as this.  Don't let your mistakes (your slips) turn into a slippery slope of self deprecating back talk, of mental movies, of denial (that just turns into more slips, by the way).  Stand up.  Show up.  Demonstrate your love for being human and your desire to be re-routed.  Just like anything else in life, this takes practice.  Start practicing today.