July: On Family

July 29

Anytime you learn something new (and I hope you’re always trying to learn something new), you’re bound to make mistakes. I try to teach this lesson to my daughter every day. She likes to get things right and can be hard on herself when she doesn’t nail it right away. But it’s also a lesson for me as a parent. This is something brand new for me, and each day brings new challenges—some of which I anticipate, and some I never see coming. I’m bound to mess up here and there. It’s natural. It’s human. Especially when it comes to family. And if you’re not a parent, you can apply this same idea to any relationship—those with your own parents, siblings, cousins, friends, colleagues, whoever.

So try your best. Enjoy your wins. Acknowledge and learn from your mistakes. 

You just have to want it, but more than that, work toward getting it right more than you get it wrong. And be okay with not knowing and making plenty of mistakes along the way.

• Reflection title: It’s Okay To Not Know
• Creative inspiration:  Robin Hobb, Fool's Assassin
• Reflection question: Can I admit I don’t always know what I’m doing when it comes to being a parent, son or daughter, or sibling? Am I still trying to learn while maintaining humility?