On Monday, I had one of the most difficult days at my new job that I have had in a long while. I came in and started, working on some projects, and things just kept on going wrong. I kept messing things up, and things continued to be difficult for most of the day. My boss was very patient with me, and never raised his voice or did anything to make me feel bad. Yet, I felt awful because of my mistakes. This continued even when I got home after teaching some students. I felt horrible and didn't want to go in to work the next day. In fact, I felt frightened to do so.
I went in the next day, fearing what my boss might say or do. I thanked him for his patience when I saw him, and he said that it was no problem, that, in fact, he had made similar mistakes once and that everyone makes mistakes. He said something that really hit me: if you don't make mistakes, you don't learn.
I struggle sometimes, getting worked up about my mistakes and my weaknesses, but my boss was right: you don't learn if you never make mistakes. There were some absolutely vital things I learned as I worked on Monday, and - even though it felt like everything was going wrong for me - Heavenly Father was providing opportunities for me to learn valuable lessons, both about work but more importantly about life and handling my anxiety.
Just a neat reminder that all of our trials are not without their benefit. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph, "know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (D&C 122:7)
Love you all, my friends!
