A few days ago, I cooked a meal that I thought was going to be great and I was really looking forward to eating it. However, the final product was not what I anticipated. The meat was dry. I knew right away the mistakes that I made that led to this. I thought, well, there is no use in crying over spilled milk, or in my case, turkey tenderloin. And what does that mean? It means there is no use in being upset about situations that have already happened and cannot be changed. Although, you cannot change what happened, what can change is YOU. You can make improvements to avoid spilling the milk the next time.   Can you think of a time that you “spilled the milk”?  Did you have a bad semester in school?  Did you forget to complete an assignment at work?  Did you mistreat a loved one?  Did you let someone down that was depending on you?  Whatever mistakes we have made, instead of beating ourselves up about it, our reaction should be taking steps to improve.

Learn from mistakes to improve for the next time.

Thinking back to when I was cooking, I remember that I was consumed with something else.  I was working from home on that day and I didn’t check on the meat while I was cooking.  I put it in the oven and set the timer and did not return to see if water needed to be added to it.  Not only did I not check on it, when the timer went off, I kept working and did not immediately take it out of the oven.  To learn from your mistakes, be specific about what you did wrong and what you should have done and make those changes!  If you had a bad semester, be honest about your class attendance, attention while in class, communication with instructors and time spent studying and doing homework outside of class.  Instead of crying over the spilled milk, examine the situation, determine the missteps and plan the next steps and changes in your walk. 

Write down your improvement plan.

Those things that you said you would do differently the next time you have an important school assignment or deadline to meet for your job, write them down!  Write down your planned changes so that you can see them.  Place them somewhere that you know you will look and be INTENTIONAL about making changes and fulfilling your purpose.

Ask someone to hold you accountable.

Even with good intentions, we are not perfect people.  We forget things, we get tired and we make mistakes.  Having an accountability partner is one way to help us stay on track with our improvement plan.  Ask someone who cares about you and will be honest and encourage you to keep taking positive steps towards improving.

Just because you spilled the milk, you are not counted out. As young people say, “bounce back”! No matter what mistakes you have made, who you have hurt, what you have failed to do, you can still walk with God and be a part of His Kingdom and His purpose. Bounce back with God and follow His Word and guidance! Be encouraged!