I made the most important mistake at the most unimportant time. That was the phrase I uttered in a dream a few weeks ago. I was apologizing for something and said, “I’m sorry I made the most important mistake at the most unimportant time.” It’s a phrase I have not been able to shake. I kept thinking about it over and over trying to gain some insight as to what it might mean. I think I figured it out.
There are no unimportant times and there are no unimportant actions. Everything we say and do matters, on some level, in every moment. Even if it seems a trivial or mundane act, even the simplest thing, can have a major impact. What I think my subconscious mind was trying to tell me is that you can’t take anything for granted; a smile at a passerby, the door you don’t hold, the stranger you help, the person you judge, you never know what that will mean or do to someone else. We all have a responsibility to think about the messages we send, the values we convey and the world we help influence because too many today place personal desire or want above the greater good.
I know nobody’s perfect. We just need to remember that actions/words have consequences and, even when you think something is unimportant, it could be the most important mistake you make.
Benjamin Franklin offered a poetic perspective:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
