When I signed up for this quarter's Ultimate Blog Challenge, I was determined to write 31 blogs in 31 days, just like I wrote 30 blogs in 30 days in April. I knew I wasn't going to miss a day, and then this weekend came. I hadn't spent time earlier in the week writing extra blogs to cover such a moment as this and I simply did not get around to writing all weekend. So, here I am, on Monday asking, have I failed?
No, I haven't.
Here's why. I'm here posting this blog today. I didn't give up, I didn't let my disappointment over missing the last 2 days derail my goal to write all month. Who knows, maybe I'll double up a couple of days to hit 31 blogs before the month is through, but, maybe I won't. The key is that I'm back, ready to write and share with you.
In the past, I would have seen missing those two blog posts as failing and I would have given up. I would have felt that it was impossible to complete the challenge perfectly, so why complete it at all? I would have missed out on the experience of challenging myself to write so often, of the interaction with my readers, of what I could learn in that process. I wouldn't have seen it that way then, it would have served as proof that I wasn't good enough. How often do we do that? How often do we hurt ourselves with such thoughts?
How can we approach this differently?
Giving ourselves grace when we don't quite hit the goal we've set, being flexible and allowing things to change, bend, or move without giving up, is how we show up differently, it's how we show up as our best selves day in and day out. Things in life don't always go exactly as we expect or hope they will. Even things that seem completely in our control, like writing blogs, can require a shift in our approach. When we can be kind to ourselves, come back, and keep going, that type of consistency is where we change, where we grow, where we learn, where we succeed.
Think about a time you didn't quite hit a goal, how did you react? What did you learn from it? How would you handle that same "miss" now? Tell me in the comments below!
Join me tomorrow night for my virtual Monthly Healing Circle. As always, we tune into our higher selves, meditate, journal, and close the session with distance reiki to help attendees process all they have received. Click here for more information and to sign up. Past attendees have received significant information which has allowed them to make meaningful changes in their lives, others have noted an incredible sense of peace and wellbeing, as well as a sense of full on relaxation. If any of that sounds good to you, I look forward to seeing you on Zoom tomorrow!
Great post! I used to be stuck in perfectionism and was so hard on my self when I didn’t conform to my idea of what that should be. lif is so much easier when you give yourself grace and are flexible. And besides, it gave you a great topic for a blog!
One of my mantras is simple... "Enjoy the Journey." Everything we do - we are on our journey. Like the saying, "Life is about the destination, not the journey," or Success is a journey, no a destination. For me, the Ultimate Blog Challenge is not about writing 31 blog posts in a month, it is about who I am becoming. It is about what I am doing. It is about collaborating with others.
The writing is just the mechanism to accomplish the things I want to be. Maybe your journey was meant to show you that it is OK not to meet every expectation you have and to shine the light on these insights.
I am glad you had mercy on yourself.…
I'm so glad you're going to keep going. I keep feeling like I'm behind too because I like to post first thing in the morning and I haven't been posting till early evening. Instead of trying to write new content every day, I've been working on updating some of my old posts for better SEO and it's really working out. You can always grab one or two of your old posts and give them a facelift to make up the two days <3
Giving ourselves grace. I love this, Kimberly. By being kind and nonjudgemental to ourselves, we are leaving the door open to unexpected experiences. Good one!