I’m willing to risk humiliation
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Last week I shared a review of my first year on Spoonflower. I love reflecting on the year and sharing the lessons, but I’d be lying if I told you that it wasn’t the scariest newsletter I’ve ever shared. I almost talked myself out of hitting the publish button multiple times. But I didn’t, mainly because of a quote I heard a few years ago by a psychologist named Carl Rogers— ‘What is most personal is most universal.’ I’ve generally found this to be true, that the more personal and vulnerable someone is with me, the more I can relate to them. And so I leaned into that belief when sharing with you last week. I even went an extra step and shared this newsletter with a community of other Spoonflower designers. This made me extremely nervous because now I was being judged by people who had more context on my experience. Where do I stack up? What will they think of my progress? Will I look like a success or completely pathetic? Who am I to even be talking about this stuff? I’m a total imposter. None of the negative things I was afraid people would think actually came to fruition. In fact, sharing this newsletter was the most healing thing I could have done, both for myself and my community. I received dozens of messages of people relating to my experience. Feeling seen, validated, and encouraged. Also wondering if everyone had a similar experience to them or if they just had a shit year. Finding comfort in the fact that they weren’t actually alone. If you’re feeling like you’re the only one going through a difficult experience, you’re probably not. If you’re feeling like an inadequate failure in everything you’re doing, you probably aren’t. There are probably thousands of other people having a very similar experience. In fact, your next door neighbor, mom, or best friend can probably relate. ‘What is most personal is most universal.’ So this is just a short, personal letter I’m writing (mainly as a reminder to myself) in defense of being vulnerable. In an age where everyone is able to present a perfect life on the internet, hiding every aspect of themselves that they feel is ugly and not good enough, I’m willing to risk humiliation in exchange for deeper connection. Until next week, ~Rachel P.S., if you enjoyed this email and know a friend who might be inspired by it too, please forward it along! And if you ARE that friend, subscribe here. |