There are days I really wish I had an instruction manual for life. There are days that I think I should write an instruction manual for how to NOT live. There are days that I am pretty sure I am not smart enough to follow an instruction manual (if I had one) to save my life.
We all feel this way sometime.
The best part of our imperfection is that we all suffer from it.
Our mistakes are part of the human condition and they are tools for personal growth.
The three steps to surviving imperfection are as follows:
(Unofficial Instruction Guide for Life)
Be able to laugh at your mistakes- Be able to learn from your mistakes
- Forgive yourself for making mistakes
Laughter is the best medicine and can help heal the bumps and bruises brought on by goof-ups.
Since there is no Official Instruction Guide for Life, your ability to grow and learn from your daily encounters is a perfect lesson plan for the future. Some of the biggest mistakes turned into miraculous achievements in the past, including the slinky, chocolate chip cookies, penicillin, pacemakers, post-it notes, and fireworks. Those are some pretty big oops that turned into even bigger Oh yeahs!
Showing forgiveness for ourselves if probably the toughest lesson to learn. Here is a modified version of The Serenity Prayer that I find especially helpful. I hope you will too.
The OTHER Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to stop beating myself for not doing things perfectly, the courage to forgive myself because I’m working on doing better, and the wisdom to know that you already love me just the way I am.
While there may not be a road map, study guide, Cliff Notes, instruction manual, or GPS to guide us through the journey of life, we can put our energy and intents into facing our faux pas with humor, patience, an open-mind, and compassion.
By: Melanie A. Peters
P.S. I am not sure there could ever be an official Official Instruction Manual for Life. There are just too many variables and editing would probably kill everyone adding to the instructions and then there would be no one for whom the Official Instructional Manual for Life should be written.
Intentergy 
Short, very sweet and to the point. You sure pack a punch, lady! We all want universality! https://freedomlaughs.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/the-universal-secret-to-love/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! You are so right about the need for universality. 🙂
LikeLike
Let’s also not forget Coca-Cola, which was supposed to be some miracle cure for something or another, and Viagra, which was originally marketed as an antidepressant lol.
Even if there were a guidebook to life, our basic human nature would compel us to not follow it, break all the rules, and find our own ways anyhow. Like a man stopping to ask for directions, or heaven forbid, actually reading the roadmap lol
LikeLiked by 1 person