Oh, The Humanity!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about toolboxes. Not the normal kind with the hammer, screwdrivers and such – but the mental kind. The toolboxes full of things that help us navigate life and crazy situations. My toolbox has been feeling a little on the lean side lately. So I’m doing some things to fill it up.

Some of the hardest things we do as people, I think, involve opening ourselves up and making ourselves vulnerable. Humility. Admitting our faults. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m kind of a black and white kind of person. When I approach something, I do it perfectly or else I’ve totally failed. I don’t give myself a lot of grey. But I’m trying.

I recently was chatting with a new friend who told me “you know, this sounds stupid, but I only am just now realizing that I’m not perfect. And man, what a HUGE relief!” I get that totally. As soon as you give yourself permission to not be perfect, it’s like a weigh is lifted. The irony is that the pressure to be perfect is probably only coming from you. And you are the one who can make it go away. It’s so easy – yet it can be SO hard to do.

So, I’m human. I screw up. I’m learning to ask for help. Learning to throw my arms up in some aspects of my life and say “I can’t do this, I need help”. And I’m learning that it’s ok. Beyond that, even. It’s actually awesome to recognize that we’re just human. What a relief indeed.