20 Affirmations For When We’ve Messed Up

Being human is like nail polish. What I mean is, no matter how many coats of polish I use on my fingernails, less than 24 hours later, they start to chip.

They are still pretty, still gold and shiny—but they are flawed, and everyone can see it. Wise sages assure us that though we are chipped, we are still loved by the Divine, and also still worthy of self-love. Believing in that worthiness, though, is harder after a major blunder. To give a PG version of a Mumford & Sons’ lyric, “I really mucked it up this time. Didn’t I, my dear?” What, then, do we do after we really muck things up? After we’ve had too much to drink, or lost our temper, or stood someone up, or been rude, or any of the other million ways we behave when we are so not being our higher selves? Here are some affirmations for mistakes for a chipped-feeling soul.

1. I release negative emotions.
2. I am compassionate toward myself and others.
3. I let go of that which does not serve me.
4. Where I was wounded, now I am healed.
5. I release old feelings easily, letting them pass through me and out.
6. I have no need to revisit old scenes in my mind.
7. I embrace unconditional love from myself and the Divine.
8. I easily release feelings of shame or guilt.
9. I see the good in me and in others.
10. I feel grateful and uplifted.
11. Goodbye, old nonsense! I’m moving on.
12. Mistakes are teachers. I accept the lessons they offer.
13. Negative thoughts have left me.
14. I am filled with grace.
15. I choose to be positive.
16. Inhale confidence, exhale doubt.
17. Every day, in every way, I slide into that better version of myself.
18. Today, my actions match my intentions.
19. Radiant energy is pulsing through my entire body.
20. Today is a new day and I begin it with gratitude.

Keep reading: “14 Affirmations to Unlock a More Joyful Life”