Let go of shame.
In my own understanding I would interpret shame as an intense and prolonged form of embarrassment, one that impedes further progress and development, becoming a source of fear.
Shame has held quite a large influence on my life over the past year, it is something I am overcoming and walking past. Now that I know better I am able to do better, I now know that embracing shame has been my choice, therefore disregarding it can be my choice also. To overcome shame I've had to come to terms with the fact that mistakes are inevitable, it is not practical to place upon myself a standard of perfection as I will inevitably make mistakes. The first step to moving past the shame derived from my slip ups was to understand that mistake making is inevitable. If I know that I will not get everything right and that this is an essential part of life, then I am better equipped to deal with the emotions that accompany any mistakes I make. These mistakes are no longer a source of intense and prolonged embarrassment as I have now regarded them as natural experiences of life.
Shame is more about the definition of the action rather than the action itself. If I remove the negative thinking patterns that accompany my short-comings, I remove the shame also. We have the power to rise above shame, to move past the areas where we've fallen short. Freedom is more accessible than we think, a lot it starts within.
So let go of shame today. Teach yourself that mistakes our inevitable, but the distinction between a mistake and a lifelong impediment (failure) is our definition. Will we allow our momentary shortcomings to become lifelong ones?
