Hey,
It's a big world out there.
All kinds of activity,
Demands,
All kinds of uncertainties.
So let's just take a minute and ground,
Breathe.
So I don't know about you,
But it can be hard for me to put myself out there.
Doing this in all kinds of ways.
It could be an invitation,
It could be a challenging email you have to send.
And what makes it even worse is if you don't hear anything back.
When it's just all crickets and you're waiting.
And even if it was bad news,
That might be better than not hearing anything at all.
Because in the absence,
We can spin all kinds of stories,
Can't we?
Things like,
They must hate us,
I must be horrible.
All kinds of ways that our heads start to go after us.
When in fact,
All that has happened is we took a risk.
And all we can control now is our behavior,
Our thoughts.
When we put ourselves out there,
We can be so tender,
Feel so exposed.
And that's one way to name it.
And it's certainly true.
I feel that way all the time.
But I'll go back to something I've said before.
Putting ourselves out there is also the brave thing to do.
It's a way of showing up.
It's a way of being in the world.
And we can't control anything or anyone else.
So if you're feeling uncertain,
If you're feeling tender or raw or vulnerable,
I'm feeling that way too.
And it's tough to sit with.
It's tough to bear.
But here we are.
Managing it.
Sitting with what is.
Breathing in and breathing out.
You are centered.
You are okay.
Whatever does or does not happen,
You are okay.
And it's even okay to feel vulnerable and raw.
That tenderness shows you are alive.
And you care.
And I for one think those are amazing qualities.
So let's be brave.
Let's act.
Let's know that we are alive and human and we care.
And no one,
No one can take that away from us.
Be brave.
Stay fierce.
And live light.
