Thank you for so vulnerably opening yourself up to us, Robin! I especially appreciate how you not only share how you "failed" your roommate, but also how that led you to reflect, grow, and become better. It grew you in wisdom, insight, kindness, and compassion. What an incredibly conscious and powerful response! Cheers to you!
Such an interesting and honest piece. And I so appreciate the mention. I’m still struggling to give younger me grace for her many f•ck-ups and reading this helped. Thank you.
I deeply resonate with this! I feel like I was trained away from failure and, as a result, had a fear of taking the first step and had a fixed vs growth mindset. Over time, I softened to the idea of failure and even embrace it now. I have learned so much about myself and the world by following my intuition, failing, and growing. Thank you for creating this safe space to deepen our connection with ourselves and our dreams, Robin 🫶💖
I guess I'm happy that you mentioned me as an inspiration, and yet it feels a little double-edged. The word failure is highly charged for me, and I can't honestly say that I haven't had those feelings or experiences at failing at something, but I have to say, I don't think the word accurately describes my journey. I don't think I've ever REALLY felt like a failure. I have felt lost, and scared, unbalanced and depressed. I'm definitely flawed. But the reason for not associating the word failure with the things I've gone through in my life, is that even when I've been at my lowest, I've never given up. The thing I do know is that it wasn't until very recently that I came to understand that I have a lot to offer, and that I'm good at what I do. I have sadness that I couldn't see my personal gifts sooner, but failure isn't the right descriptor for me. Love you, Robin!
Oh Nan, I am gut-punched at the thought that you might, even for a moment, think I was calling you a failure. Please know, I do not consider you a failure! I mention you as an inspiration because I admire your vulnerability and the way you keep showing up, and I love your many personal stories of perseverance and resilience. Your writing reminds me, in those times when I feel like a failure, that I can be resilient, too, that society doesn't get to define failure for me. In fact, my not-so-secret mission with this entire series is to question the very notion of failure and explore the ways that the so-called "failures" (as society would define them) in our lives are actually just steps on the broader journey. I love you, too, and I'm so grateful for your writing!
I don't want you to feel gut-punched...but I'm not in charge of your feelings. It gave me an opportunity to examine myself, and realize something that's really pretty happy...that I don't feel that about myself. And, trust me, when I tell you that I've spent most of my life being my own worst critic, self-deprecating to the core, and harder on myself than anyone could ever be. I didn't for one moment think that you were calling me a failure. I just had a reaction to the word. I mean it when I tell you that I love you, you're an awesome person and a wonderful writer. I think it's great that you're examining the concept of failure and what it means. Obviously it means different things to different people. So many of us have suffered or do suffer with impostor syndrome. xo
I love this, Robin! It’s good to have these honest conversations. Also I might someday steal the idea of interviewing myself lol!
Thank you for so vulnerably opening yourself up to us, Robin! I especially appreciate how you not only share how you "failed" your roommate, but also how that led you to reflect, grow, and become better. It grew you in wisdom, insight, kindness, and compassion. What an incredibly conscious and powerful response! Cheers to you!
Such an interesting and honest piece. And I so appreciate the mention. I’m still struggling to give younger me grace for her many f•ck-ups and reading this helped. Thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Keris!
I deeply resonate with this! I feel like I was trained away from failure and, as a result, had a fear of taking the first step and had a fixed vs growth mindset. Over time, I softened to the idea of failure and even embrace it now. I have learned so much about myself and the world by following my intuition, failing, and growing. Thank you for creating this safe space to deepen our connection with ourselves and our dreams, Robin 🫶💖
Thank you for being here, Catherine!
I guess I'm happy that you mentioned me as an inspiration, and yet it feels a little double-edged. The word failure is highly charged for me, and I can't honestly say that I haven't had those feelings or experiences at failing at something, but I have to say, I don't think the word accurately describes my journey. I don't think I've ever REALLY felt like a failure. I have felt lost, and scared, unbalanced and depressed. I'm definitely flawed. But the reason for not associating the word failure with the things I've gone through in my life, is that even when I've been at my lowest, I've never given up. The thing I do know is that it wasn't until very recently that I came to understand that I have a lot to offer, and that I'm good at what I do. I have sadness that I couldn't see my personal gifts sooner, but failure isn't the right descriptor for me. Love you, Robin!
Oh Nan, I am gut-punched at the thought that you might, even for a moment, think I was calling you a failure. Please know, I do not consider you a failure! I mention you as an inspiration because I admire your vulnerability and the way you keep showing up, and I love your many personal stories of perseverance and resilience. Your writing reminds me, in those times when I feel like a failure, that I can be resilient, too, that society doesn't get to define failure for me. In fact, my not-so-secret mission with this entire series is to question the very notion of failure and explore the ways that the so-called "failures" (as society would define them) in our lives are actually just steps on the broader journey. I love you, too, and I'm so grateful for your writing!
I don't want you to feel gut-punched...but I'm not in charge of your feelings. It gave me an opportunity to examine myself, and realize something that's really pretty happy...that I don't feel that about myself. And, trust me, when I tell you that I've spent most of my life being my own worst critic, self-deprecating to the core, and harder on myself than anyone could ever be. I didn't for one moment think that you were calling me a failure. I just had a reaction to the word. I mean it when I tell you that I love you, you're an awesome person and a wonderful writer. I think it's great that you're examining the concept of failure and what it means. Obviously it means different things to different people. So many of us have suffered or do suffer with impostor syndrome. xo