162: Messed Up? Here’s How to Move Forward Without Shame

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You’re not broken. You’re human.

In today’s Thrive in 5, I’m showing you how to respond to mistakes with self-compassion so you can bounce back faster, stay consistent, and stop spiraling into guilt. The research is clear: kindness fuels growth more than shame ever will.

What we cover:

• Why perfectionism keeps you stuck
• The 3-step bounce-back method: pause, reframe, realign
• How to rewrite your inner dialogue
• One phrase to keep you moving, even when it’s messy

🎯 You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to be kind enough to yourself to keep going.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We all make mistakes, but how werespond to them matters more
than the mistake itself.
In this episode of Thrive inFive, I'll show you how
self-compassion isn't weakness.
It's your secret weapon forresilience, motivation, and
sustainable success.

Speaker (00:15):
Welcome back to Thrive in Five, where I give you a
quick burst of motivation andproductivity in five minutes or
less.
I'm Cindy, your host, aself-made entrepreneur, busy
mom, and a business coach.
I've built and sold severaldigital businesses ranging from
five to six figure successes.
So when it comes to managingtime and priorities in both life

(00:37):
and work, I get it.
I've been there and I am here tohelp you thrive.
Let's talk about somethingthat's just as important as
productivity or time management,but way too often overlooked.
It's self-compassion becausehere's the truth, you are going
to mess up.
Sometimes you'll miss adeadline.
Drop the ball.
Snap at someone you love ortotally abandon a goal for the

(01:00):
week or the month.
When that happens, the way youtalk to yourself makes a
difference.
Beating yourself up won't getyou back on track faster.
In fact, studies show thatself-criticism decreases
motivation over time, whileself-compassion actually
increases resilience.
So let that sink in.
You are more likely to stayconsistent and bounce back if

(01:24):
you treat yourself with kindnesswhen you fall short.
Here's how to start practicingself-compassion in real life.
First pause and notice the innerdialogue.
What are you saying to yourselfafter a mistake?
Would you say that to your bestfriend or your child?
If not, it's time to rewrite thescript.
Try something like that.

(01:45):
Didn't go how I planned, but I'mlearning and I'm moving forward.
Normalize the experience.
You're not the only one who'smade this mistake.
You're not broken.
You're human.
We all stumble and pretendingthat perfection is the goal will
only keep you stuck.
Give yourself permission to growin real time without the shame.
Forgive and realign forgivenessdoesn't mean the mistake didn't

(02:09):
matter.
It means you're choosing to moveforward instead of staying
stuck, ask yourself, what wouldit look like to get me back on
track today, even in a smallway, and then take the step.
No punishment required, just.
Progress.
This works because when you giveyourself grace, you create space
to grow Self-compassion buildsemotional resilience, boosts

(02:32):
motivation, and helps you bounceback faster even after setbacks.
It's not soft, it's smart.
If you wanna implement thisimmediately, here are your
action steps.
Catch one moment of negativeself-talk today and reframe it
with kindness.
Write down a go-to phrase thatyou'll use when you make a

(02:52):
mistake.
Something like I'm learning, I'mallowed to grow.
And then choose one small actionto realign with your goals.
No guilt, just forward motion.
You don't have to be perfect tokeep going.
You just need to be kind enoughto yourself not to give up.
You've got this.