Boundaries and Missed Opportunities

Over the past week, I’ve been taking part in an online conversation about how we feel when we miss an opportunity to set a boundary.

It hurt my heart to see a group of such smart, strong women beating themselves up.

Here’s the thing. We tend to be much harder on ourselves about missed opportunities for setting boundaries than we are about eating healthy. Not that we shouldn’t eat healthy. But we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for missing the chance to set a boundary, either.

Life is full of distractions, and full of ups and downs. We can’t expect ourselves to be “on” 100% of the time.

Life is full of distractions, and full of ups and downs. We can’t expect ourselves to be “on” 100% of the time.

But there are so many ways to fix things. If you’re not happy with the way you handled a situation, I assure you, all is not lost.

Can you approach the person who wanted to set a boundary with and say, “Hey, I’m really sorry, and I know I said it was ok yesterday, but I’ve thought about it and I am really not ok with....”

You will have plenty of other chances to set boundaries the way you know how to. This is a life-long process.

You will have plenty of other chances to set boundaries the way you know how to. This is a life-long process.

More importantly, when looking back, remember: You did what you were able to in the moment.

Keep learning. Keep growing. And be proud of your progress.