by Jodi
What we don't need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human. ~ Brené Brown
Don’t you just love a great movie with a happy ending? It’s so satisfying to see someone overcome adversity and triumph in the end. A character that you can genuinely root for brings out the cheerleader in me and can inspire me, too. In real life, though, we don’t have the option to wrap up all our challenges with a neat and tidy bow at the end.
Succeed a Little, Fail a Lot
Somehow, though, we put that expectation on ourselves. Then, we get really irritated and disappointed when life throws us a curve ball and we don’t just forget to swing – sometimes we haven’t even picked up the bat! Life can be gloriously messy from one day to the next. Speaking for myself, I’m sometimes amazed by the sheer amount of things I’ve accomplished within one week and then utterly unable to summon the energy to change out of my pajamas the next weekend! What I’m coming to accept, though, is that it’s all okay. It’s okay to have a bad day; to make a mistake; to fall short of the goal; to not win the race and to need some down time. And you know what? I forgive myself. I forgive myself for being human because in the end, that’s why we’re here. To have the experience of being human. To succeed a little and fail a lot – it’s how we grow.
Model a Better Way
My niece is 9 years old and she seems to have been born in equal amounts high-achieving and self-critical. Another friend has a sweet son who displayed incredibly high levels of anxiety from a very early age. This is something that we seem to be hearing more and more about – children struggling with mental health and self-esteem issues. There’s definitely a lot of debate about what’s caused this turn of events with lots of researchers looking into our current environment. What’s clear to me, though, is that we – the adults in the room – need to show these kids another way.
Prioritize Mental and Emotional Health
Teaching someone how to behave is much easier to do when you’re a living example. Finding ways to prioritize caring for our mental and emotional health and being loud and proud about it are a good starting point. Instead of hashtags like #hustle and #alwaysgrinding being trending topics, let’s try to promote different ideas like #loveyourself and #takingcareofme
Yes, real life can be unpredictable and massively frustrating at times. So, take the time to step outside of the constant doing and going once in a while to just be. Be happy, be still and most of all be grateful. Don’t just forgive yourself for being human; celebrate yourself for being a masterpiece in the making. Remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can and know that is enough. YOU are enough.