Hello friends and happy October!
Hold up…happy OCTOBER? Fall is by far my favorite season of the year so perhaps that isn’t too bad. Then there’s this: The year 2020 arrives in less than 90 days.
Gulp.
Although there has been advancements we still don’t have flying cars, floating hoverboards, or self drying jackets. However, we do have self tying shoes. Shoutout to Doc Brown. Great Scott!
Anyway, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. It’s been a crazy calendar year. A year ago this weekend I was packing my bags and moving to Oklahoma. This move would be my third address and state within the prior 14 months. Wild.
Some of the deepest conversations I’ve had with a few of you have happened within the past two weeks. Thank you for interacting and asking some extremely thought provoking questions, you know who you are. What some of those conversations brought to light is my connection with you. My goal with this project from the beginning is to further the conversations and share the experiences that all of us encounter on a day to day basis. In sharing these stories we can impact and help one another to learn, grow, and enjoy the one opportunity we have on this rock.
I’ve received thoughts, messages, and texts on each one of my posts thus far and I thank you for that. The posts that have been shared up to this date have each meant something to me. That might be obvious, but to dive deeper into that statement - each topic has come from some form of personal experience. There’s a story, an event, a conversation, or a moment that in some way inspired me to write and express my thoughts towards them.
Why is this important? We all have extremely unique experiences that we go through in life. These experiences and events and decisions shape who we are today.
At any moment, the decision you make can change the course of your life forever
This Tony Robbins quote exemplifies several different instances in my own life that have altered my journey. I shared one of these moments in The Small Decision That Changed My Life. As noted before there was some hesitation in sharing such a vulnerable night with all of you. Since that post, as well as a couple of conversations on The Little Things podcast, something has became clearer than ever: Vulnerability is strength.
There’s something really interesting to unpack there. I think there may be an overall belief in that being vulnerable, acknowledging our faults, or admitting and sharing our failures is showing weakness. One way this can be found is in today’s glamourous world of social media. We see everyone’s highlight reel, the perfect pictures, the most amazing relationships, and the best recipes. I’ve been there. This includes scrolling across some mixture of peanut butter, ice cream, cookie dough, oreos, fudge, and brownie baked together for one bite (or twelve) of absolute perfection.
The belief that vulnerability shows weakness is counterintuitive. It’s the opposite of weakness. There are times where we want (or believe) that we have it all figured out, that we’re succeeding and completely happy, that we’ve kept up with the Joneses. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that we are all unique. With that uniqueness comes different wants, needs, desires, and definitions of happiness. Why are we so worried about what other people think? Why are we always comparing our success, our happiness, and our careers to others?
I believe that vulnerability shows strength. Admitting our failures shows that we are aware, we believe in ourselves, and we learn from them.
“I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Guys, I have failed countless times in my life. However, what’s inspiring and something I consistently remind myself of is this: what if I hadn’t?
All those failures, those bad decisions, those moments where I questioned who I was - they shaped me. They brought me to this moment today. Without failure, how are we supposed to learn? How are we suppose to grow? When we fail we find a way not to do something, we learn to take a different route, and we use the belief in ourselves to push through those failures and become a better person. With that in mind: Is failure truly failure?
As of tonight we are set to record an episode on The Little Things about being in constant fear of failure. The ego is fueled by fear. It sends us messages that tell us the world outside our comfort zone and current self is dangerous and unfamiliar. Fear says to stick to our assurances, our safety, and our security. Fear is completely made up in the mind; there is nothing concrete or measurable to identify it. Without opening up an entire novel I’ll leave you with a quote to ponder that I often refer back to in moments of uncertainty - “The best things in life are on the other side of fear.”
I have indeed gone through some radical changes. Three states in 14 months and I’m not a traveling nurse. There has been physical changes but also mental, emotional, and spiritual shifts as well. There has been great highs, extreme lows, and every step imaginable in between. There are crucial moments in my life that have enlightened me more than words could explain. However, it’s been words that have brought us together. I plan to open up different parts of my journey and some of those crucial moments to hopefully relate and connect with you on a deeper level. This project was designed to impact one another and I am happy to share experiences with you that may be valuable to each one of your journeys.
Groovy, but where do we go from here? There continues to be great insight and conversations that stem from emails. Be sure to Subscribe with your email at the bottom of this page. I encourage you to share this message with anyone who may find it useful! You can utilize the Share button below, forward my emails, or reach out and shoot me a note on any of the platforms below. I’m available to anyone at theitsjustjakeblog@gmail.com.
Keep battling.
Thank you for your time.
