July: A Month Of Defeats

Everyone struggles in life. It’s just a fact. Maya Angelou warned that “you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” She said “in fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

This year one of my goals is to face my defeats, learn from them, and walk away stronger. Part of that path forward includes being honest when I’m struggling and not hiding.

So here’s the truth:

This month I did not meet two important deadlines.

This month I wanted to make a big announcement
but I chickened out.

This month I dropped the ball on marketing.

This month I felt like a failure.

This month I felt like an imposture.

This month I believed what I do doesn’t matter.

This month life defeated me.

Why am I telling you this? Because we all struggle. Most of us silently. Posting happy pictures on Instagram and snarky comments on Twitter is easier than being real, being honest.

Ultimately, what I want to say to every person who drops by this blog is: We got you.

We got you during the good times.

We got you during the hard times.

We got you during the lonely times.

We got you during the hurricane.

We got you during the rainbow.
We got you when you’re defeated.

We. Got. You.

Here you can be honest. Here no one is pretending to be anything other than human. Here we make mistakes but we learn from them. Here we crawl forward. Here there is no judgement. Here there are no comparisons or snide remarks or ignoring each other's pain.

This month I felt defeated.
This month I failed a lot.

But that’s okay.
Because I will rise.
I will know who I am.

And my hope for you is that you too will rise from the ashes of your defeats and know better who you are and what you are capable of.