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The (Wo)Man in the Arena.
In the opening of one of Brene Brown’s books, Daring Greatly, she references a quote by Theodore Roosevelt. I recently came across this quote again. It’s full of powerful words that I feel should really be taken to heart. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;…
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Any Good.
Circumstances have arisen over the past several months that have caused me to re-evaluate certain relationships. As a result, I’ve created new boundaries with people who I didn’t feel recognized my full worth. These decisions did not come lightly, and I’m still having a hard time coping with the changes. In only one of these circumstances was there a pretty clear cut of ties. The others have been pretty much just my decision with no discussion about the state of the relationship. In talking these changes out with a friend, she asked, “Why don’t you talk to them about it?” And I responded, “It won’t do me any good.” Then she asked, “Why do you think it won’t…
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Disappointment.
The underlying theme for disappointment is unmet expectations. How true is that when you really think about it? When I’m disappointed in myself, I am usually left questioning, “What did I do wrong? How could I have done better?” When I’m disappointed in someone else, I’m usually left wondering, “If he would only…” 🙄 It’s harder for me to be disappointed in other people than it is to be disappointed in myself. At least when I haven’t met my own expectations, I can reflect to see if I laid my head and my heart on the line (logic and emotion). If I didn’t, I know to do better and can take steps toward improvement. Other people, well…it seems a lot of other people…
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Compassion.
Remember when I said 2020 would be epic? I wasn’t really wrong, was I? 🤦🏻♀️ But this definitely wasn’t what I had in mind either. It’s been such an interesting year so far, and we’re only half way through. Whether I like it or not, I’m finally starting to settle into this “new normal”. (A term I am also actually coming to hate.) It’s been an adjustment, that is for. sure. And really, I don’t have it nearly as bad as a lot of people. But that’s not to discount the challenges I have faced during this transition; I’ve definitely been fighting some battles. Still, I can’t help but feel a bit selfish for indulging in my own sorrows. Brené Brown calls…
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Melancholy.
Melancholy is defined as a “depression of spirits” or a “pensive mood.” I want to focus on the former definition, because I feel like that’s exactly what we’re experiencing as humans right now. At least, I am. In Brené Brown’s new podcast, she talks with David Kessler on grief and finding meaning. Kessler says that grief comes after loss. That loss can be anything of significance to the individual. He points out that during this pandemic, we could list a 100 different things that we have lost: our social lives, our ability to converge in public, physical touch (as simple as a handshake), and the big one: the world as…
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Adversity.
The definition of adversity is “a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune.” State or instance – which means that it can be constant or a one-time difficulty or misfortune. Nothing in the definition refers to the intensity or severity of this difficulty or misfortune, yet it seems to me that many people tend to associate adversity with tragedy or sacrifice. Even I do this! (Yes, it says “serious”, but that is subjective and irrelevant for where I’m going with this. 😒) In the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Manson says, “For many of us, our proudest achievements come in the face of the greatest…