Hot Yoga, Failure & We’re All Just Human. A Super Short Story.

You're doing the best you can and that's good enough. Yes, really.

 

Why is it that we push ourselves and push ourselves and don’t allow ourselves the space to fail? The space to grow?

I called up one of my best girlfriends the other day, explaining to her how I spent the better half of the day before reminding myself that it’s OK to fail. That I don’t have to be perfect.

Because I taught a hot yoga class … and it was horrible.

The room was too hot. I went 11 minutes over. I was “yelling.” And people came out of the class looking like they’d just been tortured for 60 minutes plus.

{… Face palm}

My heart sunk as I was sitting at the front desk, watching people leave. And shame began to wash over me…

 

Naturally, my mind began to wander to questions like the below:

Do they hate me now?

Will people ever come back to my classes?

Is everyone going to be talking about how horrible I was?

Or worse yet (mind racing all over the place), are people going to give the studio horrible Yelp reviews because of me?!

 

All of these thoughts spiraling, as I sunk deeper and deeper into shame.

I felt the feelings, but then had to walk myself out, up and out of the shame with the truth…

I don’t have to be perfect. I just started teaching.

I’m allowed to fall. I’m allowed to have a bad class. I’m allowed to learn how to get better.

Bottomline: I’m allowed.

 

As I was telling this story to my girlfriend, especially how I was walking myself out of shame, she casually said…

“YES! You wouldn’t be mad or upset with a baby just learning how to walk, saying ‘How come you don’t know how to walk yet? How come you aren’t perfect?!’ NO! Instead, you’d allow the baby to grow and learn how to walk on their own!”

This hit hard.

 

 

Think about how true this is.

You would never (ever) be frustrated or mad with a little baby for not fully walking yet.

Instead, you’d celebrate their every single move. Because it’s a move forward. A step closer (literally) to achieving their goal.

So why don’t we, as adults, allow ourselves to take small steps, to celebrate every single move forward? Knowing that every small step will allow us to get to that next step until eventually we’re walking our path to where we need to go. And yes, we’ll have to learn how to take new and different steps (and paths) again, but the difference is that we’re allowing ourselves the time, grace, and self-kindness needed to get there.

We’re not bashing ourselves because we’re not there already.

See the significant difference?

Because it’s quite significant.

 

I tell you this story so you can:

:: Recognize that everyone (from coaches to yoga teachers to that annoyingly perfect woman on instagram) has insecurities, shame, and self-doubts they’re working through – after all – we’re all human beings, and we human beings feel.

:: Allow yourself to be patient with yourself, practice self-kindness, and take small steps (the real key is to just keep taking steps).

:: Remember that you should never assume … 9 out of 9 times it’s never as bad as you think – you’re always your worst critic – fact.

I know from experience….

The next day after this “horrible” class, I had three students come back in just to tell me how awesome it was and that I’m stuck with them for life.

You see? Never assume. Never assume. You can’t read other peoples’ minds.

Sending you so much love XXO
Corinne

 

P.S. If any of this hits home for you, check out my Women Who Want MORE group coaching program. A place for women who want more happiness, more life, more laughter, more self-love, and more self-acceptance. Details here.