Starting Fresh!

One of the best things I ever did with my children was to implement "Start Fresh" practice. If they would get into a fight,  we'd sort it out and they'd apologize to each other and then I would say, "Okay, let it go and start fresh."  Sometimes we'd be in a rush getting to an activity and I would yell at them because I was stressed or something bad happened in our rush out the door. Then I would cool down and apologize and say "Let's start fresh."

I didn't really think too much about this little phrase used to get over our difficulties. Then I heard one of my children using it with one of their friends after a disagreement. I thought, "Wow, maybe my children do listen to me and maybe I said something that made sense to them."

And then I was having a bad day and one of my children said to me, "Mom, just take a breath and start fresh." I had to laugh to hear my own words come back to me. Now in moments when I get frustrated with a situation, another person or myself, I hear those words whisper to me, "Start fresh!"

We all have that opportunity every day. Making mistakes is inevitable. Starting fresh can turn those mistakes into learning experiences to grow from. It can change your mindset immediately. I highly recommend it!