You are not failing...

For anyone who needs to read this...

Today's post is all about failing (or not failing, I should say).

You are not failing...

You are not failing if your house isn't pristine every minute of the day.
 
Maybe you see people on Instagram with spotless houses that look like showrooms. But there's a lot they're not showing you.
 
You're not failing if your body isn't perfect.
 
This is a completely unreasonable expectation.
 
[And it's kind of pointless too. What's the sense in hating our bodies - what does this do for us?!]
 
You're not a failure if you don't have the job of your dreams... a loving family... or a yearly vacation in the sun sipping brightly-colored cocktails.
 
So many people don't have these things. (I'm not saying it's wrong to desire these things. But you're not a failure if you don't have them, or don't want them.)
 
You're not a failure if you shout at your kids in a moment of frustration. 
 
I don't mean like scary, angry, abusive shouting – that's an entirely different thing.
 
I mean when you're absolutely frazzled at the end of the day and you snap at your kids, and then feel terrible and apologize. 
 
You're not a failure for doing this.
 
And you're not a failure if you don't hit inbox zero every day. 
 
(That's something I can only dream of these days! :)

The way I see it...
 
The changes we've seen in technology over the past few decades have brought wonderful things.
 
(If you'd have told 17-year-old me about Google maps, I would have lost my mind; no more “mapbook open on the seat, trying to get to a place you don't know, frantically turning the pages and trying not to cry or crash, or both!” :) 
 
But changes in technology have meant that everything has sped up… and I don't believe we're equipped to deal with it yet. 
 
This isn't a rant about technology.
 
But there's a lot we're not realizing about it. 

Think about this...
  
You can send a message to someone across the world and instantly see not only if it's reached them, but if they've read it or not!
 
It’s insane, when you think about it!
 
And yet, even in my grandparents’ generation, the main method of contact would be to send a letter, which would take a few days to arrive… and then the person would have a day or two to reply… and by the time they mailed it back, a week would have passed!  
 
Things have sped up - a lot.

Know this...
 
You are NOT a failure if you're not on top of every area your life, or following every trend.
 
It's Just. Not. Possible.
 
You aren’t doing anything wrong!
 
You aren’t failing.
 
We're just learning how to navigate this new world. [Spoiler Alert: I think it will involve lots of setting boundaries, which is not a bad thing.]
 
You aren’t a failure if you’re not acing every single thing in your life, every single day.

• Even those days where you can barely make it out of bed.
  
  
• Even those days where you eat a family-sized pack of chips/crisps on your own.
  
  
• Even those days where you see other people's social media posts and think… “What's wrong with me?!”

 
There is nothing wrong with you.
 
Anyone who looks like they're "crushing it" in everything is either lying or delusional.
 
Everyone has setbacks.
 
Some people just cover it up better than others (or hide it, or deny it).
 
Don't believe the hype ;)
 
You are enough, just being you. 
 
That’s it for this week.
 
Enough of the harsh self-talk – let’s give ourselves some high-fives just for getting through the week!

As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to pop a comment below! 

Hugs to you,
 
Claire  

❤
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