You've Got to Fail Sometimes 👀

read time 7 minutes

Welcome to Setting The Pace Newsletter, a weekly newsletter where I provide 4 lessons, 3 tools, 2 resources, and 1 action to help you set the pace in your life.

4 lessons

^{The older I get, the more I understand that we’re all trying to figure it out, and these are lessons I am learning or being reminded of.}

1. Failure is a skill.

   It’s true. Failing is inevitable, but how you fail is what counts. I currently feel like I am failing in some areas of my life, but I am really trying to use the stumble to advance my knowledge, improve my edge, and win the next battle

2. Learn to set a timer for yourself.

   I learned this from a dear friend who once told me that when she feels sorry for herself or like the world is on top of her, she sets a timer. Yep.

   She explained that she sets a one-hour timer on her phone. In this hour, she can be the victim, wallow, and feel miserable about whatever it is. Think of this as your own personal purge. However, when that hour is up, that’s it. You have to pick yourself up and carry on.

3. Understand the shit sandwich you’re ready to eat.

   HUH? My friend Kelsey has a daily newsletter, and a couple of weeks ago, she wrote about this: ‘Nothing is incredible all of the time. Everything involves some sort of sacrifice; it’s just a matter of knowing what unpleasant experiences you’re able to handle. Everything sucks, some of the time. Everything includes some sort of cost. Nothing is pleasurable or uplifting all of the time. So, the question becomes: what struggle or sacrifice are you willing to tolerate? Ultimately, what determines our ability to stick with something we care about is our ability to handle the rough patches and ride out the inevitable rotten days.

4. Majority » Minority

   Focus on getting the majority of the days of your week right; don’t stress over the minority of days that could've been better. My latest guest (a really amazing guy) reminded me of this in the latest episode.

3 resources/tools

^{I’m such a sucker for a good resource; these are helpful tools and resources that have improved my weekly life, truly.}

1. Pomodoro Timer: I love this tool.

   How it works: time management method in which you do focused work during 25-minute intervals — known as pomodoros — and take a five-minute break. This is great if you struggle to focus at times (raises hand).

2. Sparktype Assessment: if you’re looking for your next step or chapter.

   What is it? When you discover and tap your Sparketype, you understand yourself, what fills you up and empties you out on an entirely different level. You are better equipped to find jobs, companies, and projects and craft a career that energizes and inspires you

3. Pocketbook Prompts: give your journaling a fresh feel.

   I already mentioned PP above. It’s a really handy tool that prompts you every morning. You'll receive a carefully curated journal prompt designed to provoke innovative and unconventional thinking.

2 questions I’m thinking about

^{These are questions I came across this week that helped me realign and awake in my own life.}

1. What kind of lifestyle am I working towards?

2. How can I create space for the things I want to actually happen?

1 action

^{For this last section, it’s a very, very gentle nudge to do something that will make you feel good afterward, no matter how small the action. Feel free to adapt it or make it fit your day with the least amount of resistance.}

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

Until next Friday,

Mar X