Get Mini Mindful Moments in Your Inbox!

Do you have a friend or colleague that appears to have it all together? I attended a leadership program some years back. After completing the program I’d find myself running into this certain participant about once a year. Every time we would meet she’d be excited to share her recent accomplishments. I felt like I had little to offer in return. “Yeah, that’s awesome! Congratulations,” I’d say. 

I was truly happy for her, but I was also secretly comparing…and it didn’t feel good. You know that sunken feeling—unworthiness creeping in at any and every moment, whispering that you’re just not good enough. It did eventually motivate me to get my yoga teacher certification among other things, but of course, I haven’t seen her since. Lol. 

Comparison is even easier now, with endless social media feeds coming at us. But we only get a glimpse of someone’s reality. We only hear about the good stuff happening in someone’s life. Then we want to take that and compare it to everything happening in ours.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison—measuring our lives against others’ achievements, curated images, highlight reels, or the quiet pressure to “have it all together.” But here’s the truth: no one does. Beneath every confident exterior is someone learning, adapting, and navigating their own inner landscape with their own hurdles, disappointments and insecurities. It's what makes us human. 

Giving yourself permission to be a work in progress isn’t a weakness—it’s wisdom. It’s a conscious choice to honor your timeline, your growth, and your humanity.

When we hold ourselves to impossible standards, we rob ourselves of the grace to stumble and still be seen as worthy. But real growth happens in the messy middle—when you’re trying, failing, learning, and showing up anyway. 

Your worth is not tied to a false ideal of perfection or to your achievements – regardless of what society might say. And you don’t need all the answers today or have your life all together--whatever that means. What you need is space to breathe, and your permission to make your own way and figure things out, and time to continue to “be”come. Your measurement is your own yardstick.

So, let this moment be a gentle reminder that you are allowed to not have it all figured out. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever have it all figured out—and I’m perfectly good with that.

You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to be growing, healing, and finding your way. You are allowed to be a work in progress. After all, you are an ever evolving Masterpiece! Follow your own path. Dance to the rhythm of your own drum. Trust the pace of your becoming—it doesn’t have to match anyone else’s.

Now take a deep breath in...and slowly release to ground yourself as you reflect on the following questions:

Reflect:

Where in my life am I putting pressure on myself to “have it all together”? 

What might shift if I allowed myself to grow at my own pace, without judgment?

Affirm:

My journey is uniquely mine—and that is my power.

To your peace and your power,

Valerie