live and learn
one foot in front of the other
The amount of times that phrase like “ah, should have done that” or “oops, shouldn’t have done that” cross my mind is borderline absurd. In therapy, I’m continually reminded that I need to be kind to myself and give myself grace. Everyone makes mistakes - cue Miley Cyrus.
I’m working on recognizing that the wrong turns help us weed out the paralyzing unknown and moves us in the right direction. Sometimes, the wrong direction at a fork in the road leads us to another wrong direction though. Statistically, it’s nearly impossible to always make wrong turns so chances are that we lead ourselves to the course we’re supposed to be on or the one that will happening anyway.
It’s difficult to fully accept fate because I don’t believe that diseases are fate or a broken ankle is fate. Some parts of life feel like they’re meant to happen and others are an unfortunate luck of the draw. Being human means putting one foot in front of the other no matter what we are experiencing - whether that be the gleeful feeling of acing a test or the devastating time of losing a loved one.
Before our wedding, we received advice that mostly revolved around “be present and enjoy the day.” My husband and I loved our wedding, surrounded by family and close friends. The weekend exceeded all expectation. I still put one foot in front of the other because life doesn’t pause, even during the good times.
We don’t have life remotes where you can rewind when you mess up or the experience the same bliss all over again. We can only live and learn.
Recently, I shared a brand update which is how my Substack is portrayed - the logo, the banner, etc. I couldn’t bring myself to also update my small business in which the Substack brand is an extension of. I realized over time that I just didn’t like it.
I set out to research and study. I began a UX design course through Google to learn about brand cohesion and website design. Through this process, I also looked at brands I liked and ones that were also user friendly. I scoured the internet for new typefaces and set out on a journey to draw my own new logo and banner. I met with brand strategists and learned teaming up with one was way too expensive.
Through many tries, obstacles, changes, and a hunched back, I present you with an updated brand style. Can I promise this is the last one? No - but I love it in a way I didn’t love the other one I tried.
I’m happy that I took a wrong turn and still put myself out there. I’m proud that I’m admitting I didn’t like what I chose and am changing it. If I hadn’t taken that left, I wouldn’t have ended up right here because the first time you change something is scary.
We can sleep on decisions all we want and that is usually for the best; however, at some point, we all need to make decisions and just go for it. Since we can’t predict the outcome with a fast-forward button, there’s only one way to find out what happens - to try. Otherwise, we remain stagnate, afraid of choice.
What’s something you’ve been thinking about trying but maybe have been afraid to? What’s the worst that would happen? Could you learn from it if it doesn’t go the way you expect?