"I'm an Idiot" ... [🐝U]

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It’s below freezing, there’s no heat in my trailer, & Jack Frost is nipping at my brain cells as well as my nose …

Maybe that’s really what’s dripping out of my nostrils. 🤔

It’s one of those moments where you gotta laugh so you don’t cry.
My breath is fog, my fingers are typing slow, & my brain feels like it’s buffering.

In case you’re not keeping track, we’ve got exactly 60 days left in 2025.

For me, some things have been amazing … personally & professionally.
Others … not so much.
& a few feel like needless failures.

Maybe you’re feeling it too…
That weird mix of gratitude & “what the frilly heck happened?”

Case in point … a silly mistake that made me feel like a total idiot.

The “silly” mistake

If I had a desk in my trailer, I’d want to crawl under it.
My stomach did that slooow drop … the kind that only happens when you realize, it’s 100% your fault … & it could have been avoided.

How would you feel if a mistake you made derailed an entire group?
I’m talking about something that is not only preventable but one made before … just not at this scale.

I wrote & schedule a whole set of emails for a group.
- right day, right time … wrong month.

& to make things worse, for some reason, I didn’t add my own email to the list so I didn’t even realize nothing went out, until it was too late.

classic facepalm moment.
all together now …

I’ve messed up scheduling things before …
They’ve been my own things, like this newsletter getting a PM instead of AM slot.

Clearly, I didn’t learn from my mistake … that time.

If you’d done it, I’d tell you:
“It happens, don’t worry about it. Focus on how to keep it from happening again.”

When I do it?
Cue the self-deprecating talk: “I’m an idiot”

Oh, but it doesn’t stop there.
Because when we catch ourselves with egg on our face, we don’t just wipe it off…

Noooooooo
If you’re like me, we start collecting old mistakes like trading cards, proof that we “always” mess up to reinfore our “idiot-ness”

In my case, my brain lept from scheduling emails to “never” showing up on LinkedIn.

“Never” is one of those absolutes I hate seeing people use … & it isn’t even true.
Not as much as I’d like, absolutely.
But it’s not “never”

LinkedIn is one of those things that keeps showing up on my to-do list, but somehow doesn’t always make the “got-done” list.
Same story. Every month.
Rinse & repeat.

So while LinkedIn & scheduling emails are totally different tasks, they’re the same in “reinforcing” what I’m not doing “right”.

Why do we treat ourselves worse that we’d treat literally anyone else?

We have a “Grace Gap”

When others make mistakes, we tell them they’re human & to shake it off.
Let it go & find a way to learn from it.

Spoiler Alert: We’re human too!

But when it’s our own misstep?
Out comes the mental baseball bat so we can beat ourselves up over it.

We’re so generous with giving others grace.
Yet ridiculously stingy with ourselves.

Practicing grace on ourselves

What if we got better at practicing grace on ourselves?

Remember there’s no failure, only feedback.
We actually learn so much more from what goes sideways than what runs smoothly

Use that feedback as fuel.

Because the only true failure (in my opinion) is in not trying at all.

Here’s what I’m trying …
I’m going to work on some checklists using Post-It notes.
→ double check time, day, month
→ add my email to the list

I’ve also got an accountability partner checking LinkedIn for posts about my newsletter after they’re scheduled to land in your inbox. The post isn’t necessarily about today’s topic, but there has to be something.

Now that I’m mentioning it to you, you’re welcome to call me out if you don’t see it.

If it doesn’t seem like a lot, that’s the point.
It’s not supposed to look heroic.
Start small … Post-It note small.
Because every big comeback starts with one quiet decision to show yourself grace.

Here’s how you can get started & join me in eliminating the Grace Gap
→ what’s 1 goal you were excited about that faded away because “life happens”?
→ How can you refocus & make time to work towards it, starting today, not next year?
→ Think of some “Goldilocks Goals” to see you through the rest of 2025

Now, as you work through them, what would it sound like if you gave yourself the same grace as you’d give a friend?
→ Catch the “I’m an idiot” thought & reframe it: “I’m learning & finding ways to improve”
→ Ask “what’s the feedback here?” NOT the failure … the feedback
→ Celebrate the effort, not the outcome. You showed up. You tried. That counts. Remember the only things we can control in life are our actions & reactions.
→ Borrow someone else’s voice. talk to yourself the way a friend would talk to you. … or even better …
→ Find accountability instead of punishment. Who can help remind you of all the things you’re doing well instead of wallowing in what you haven’t figured out? Someone who acknowledges when you have reasons & calls you out when they’re “excuses”.

Turn feedback into fuel

Instead of beating ourselves up for mistakes or things we haven’t done, let’s reframe it.
We have 60 days to course correct.

Remember what we talked about in “Perfectionsism = #FakeNews” … perfectionism & procrastination are twins in disguise.

TL;DR - Your mini grace manifesto

🫶 Give yourself the grace you give others.
🔁 Trade “failure” for “feedback”
🎯 Pick a “Goldilocks goal” … not too easy, not too overwhelming
🚶‍♀️Keep moving forward … starting today, not next year.

You have plenty of time to surprise yourself.

The trailer’s still cold.
But somehow, after writing this, it feels a little warmer.
Grace does that.

Make it a great “grace-FULL“ week!
EG

PS:

📗Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill … the book is on my annual “must-read” list. But if you struggle with the 100-year-old language, check out the free 3-day challenge hosted by Russell Brunson. If you upgrade to VIP you get a copy of the book + others along with the recordings.

🎥 TED Talk: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve — Carol Dweck’s 10-minute mindset reset.

& if Carol is more your cup of tea than Napoleon Hill, check out her Mindset book at your local library.

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PPPS:
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📈 Want to talk about accountability & your Grace Gap?
Find a time that fits your schedule.