Friends!

Thanks for joining today's meeting,. Today's question is "Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves?"

I say we, but I mean me.

Life is not designed to hand us success or satisfaction, but rather to present us with challenges that make us grow. Terry Laughlin, founder of Total Immersion. 

This past summer was a major challenge for me and I thought I had become an expert at managing a crisis, with hip replacements, bankruptcy, heartbreak, tragedies, adopting via foster care, I thought I checked a lot of boxes for painful things. However, this summers challenge involved me spending 4 nights in the Intensive Care Unit at a Children's Hospital with my daughter. It was an expected surgery. I knew we would be in the intensive care unit. It was still terrifying. I still remember the beeping sounds.

Good news, my daughter is healing and we got through it. We will likely go back for more surgeries but I will address that when the time comes. 

Here are 4 things I learned about that experience and I hope these things help you with any challenge you're facing now. 

1. Give yourself credit for your wins. You have some wins, even if your win is that you're listening to podcasts and seeking information or ways to get better at managing your life.  You have one, so recognize it.

2. You can't wait until you have everything figured out to feel confident. You have to do things that are uncomfortable and solve the problems that you need to solve along the way. This is life.  I am swimming in the unknown and I think this is the ocean I will continue to live in and that's ok. 

3. You will make mistakes. Solve them, forgive yourself for errors and move forward. Repeat this cycle as needed, especially the forgiving yourself part.

4. Don't be so hard on yourself, you're growing. You're a human being that is growing. 

Let's start today's meeting.