Oops. Oh well. Turn around.

“Everyone has a story and every story has value.”

A few years ago, I went on a road trip with one of my best friends. Did we have a map? Not really. We played it out spontaneously, day by day, getting our directions from the Internet with a laptop. (Back up, back wayyy up, this was before Smartphones!) Now, when all you have is a set of handwritten directions and you are in unfamiliar territory, you are bound to make some mistakes as you go, like missing a turn or taking the Northbound entrance ramp instead of Southbound. We had so many oopsies that week…we laughed, we cried, and we developed a mantra: “Oops. Oh well. Turn around.” We knew it would do no good to get worked up over it, and there was an easy fix- just turn around.

Since then, that mantra has remained an integral part of my life philosophy. “Oops.” Admit you made a mistake. “Oh well.” No point in flipping out over it, that won’t get you anywhere. “Turn around.” Start over, work your way back to where you want to be, fix the problem.

Did you think it only applied to driving? Oh…hardly! No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Some are tiny, silly little things, and some are great big obstacles to overcome, but my mantra applies to them all. Berating yourself over a mistake of any sort only hinders you in moving forward. You have to forgive yourself, do what you can to remedy the situation, learn from it, and keep on truckin’.

So the next time you get on the wrong expressway,
or date someone who tramples your heart,
or eat the questionable leftovers from the back of your fridge,
or take a job that is not aligned with your values,
or push the door that says “Pull,”
just remember:

“Oops. Oh well. Turn around.”