Truth, Lie, Dare #4

Progress, not perfection, facts over fear, and embodiment

Welcome to Truth, Lie, Dare (TLD): a weekly practice where I share a truth, a lie I'm telling myself, and commit to a dare. This framework helps me write consistently while time-constrained and honor the intent of this space (more on this here), and it's also an invitation for you to reflect however best suits you. I’ve loved hearing from you, so continue to share your TLDs (or whatever) if so compelled.

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I had a complete meltdown this week.

You know the kind—where something small triggers it and then you’re suddenly crying for ALL THE THINGS you haven’t cried for, and because you’re exhausted and maybe on the brink of burnout.

The perfect storm had been brewing: My love and I are both busy, our schedules are misaligned, and we’re feeling disconnected. Work is full of high-priority tasks. I don’t feel like I’m doing any of them well. I'm building another business. I'm writing here weekly. My sleep remains suboptimal (shout out to all my homies in their early 40s trying to figure out if we're in perimenopause or just stressed out or both 🤡).

As I get into below, it’s all connected, but a few things on melting down first: 1. it felt really good to cry and revealed new information 2. two of my girlfriends also melted down this week, and we carved space to connect, which was medicinal so this is my unsolicited reminder to not suffer in silence and phone a friend.

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The Universe blatantly nudging me to slow down ALL WEEK LONG

Truth—Yesterday, I got a note from a team member I failed to acknowledge in an all-hands communication about some recent work shipped. They were disappointed and hurt and, thankfully, brought this to my attention.

Upon receiving their note, I experienced a reasonable bout of disappointment in myself—without spiraling (#growth)—followed by swift action to make it right.

Just because I’ve learned the lesson doesn’t mean I’ve mastered the lesson. Despite daring myself to "slow the f*ck down" in TLD #2 AND being signposted all week on the Internet—and reconnecting to a practice I teach others in a retreat setting to drop in with themselves and nature—I’m in a mode of reactivity and rushing and therefore my STFD practice needs more... practice.

And that's the beauty of reflection—of this Truth, Lie, Dare journey. Patterns emerge, in this case the same lesson keeps showing up with different outfit on. I am human. I make mistakes. I'm continuously improving—not reaching some imaginary finish line of perfection but being humbled by my teachers each time and recommitting to doing better. Progress, not perfection. Onward.

Lie—This week’s post isn’t that good and this format may be hard to keep up—and is it too vulnerable or maybe not the best way to accomplish what you’re trying to? Have I stayed committed to my goal—to write consistently and honor the intention of this space? Yes. Am I learning a lot? Yes. Have I had some really beautiful and unexpected connections with people because I’m doing this? YES. Are there more facts I could point to that show why this is a good thing? Yep. Look at the facts, not the fear. Also, I’m the only one that needs to like it :) Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese blasts into my mind as I type, so maybe someone other than me needs the soothing balm of her words.

Image credit: Empowered Life Counseling

Dare—Get embodied. In his most recent post, “How to Make Big Life Decisions”,

David Spinks

, shared his struggle and solution for making decisions. Among the solutions was the concept of the Whole Body Yes, being fully aligned with your whole body (head, heart, and gut) as you consider a choice (developed by Kathlyn Hendricks). It’s a short and impactful visualization exercise that helped me this week and one I plan to do weekly for the next little bit as I navigate some big things. Try it here, and thank you, David!

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Signing off with a few delights from the week …

Dimensions | Grass Valley, CA | 3/5/25

“Dump your matcha and have a cigarette, bitch” over on

my unserious life

by

Sarah Noack

—great read, esp if you work in wellness or are sick of it.

“In this world, balance becomes elusive. We’re so focused on “fixing” ourselves that we forget to actually live. We substitute genuine connection with others for Instagram posts about our morning routines and mindfulness practices. We trade spontaneous joy for the strict schedules of our meditation apps and yoga classes. What’s ironic is that while we’re all striving for wellness, we’re missing out on the very things that truly nourish us: community, laughter, and the freedom to simply be without constant self-improvement. The pursuit of perfection leaves us exhausted and disconnected, far from the peace we’re seeking.”

“6-year-old me hearing Enya in my mom’s car for the first time” —IYKYK and you’re welcome. Thank you, MC!

dangerbean_55

A post shared by @dangerbean_55

Finally, it was International Women’s Day was yesterday so cheers to all of the amazing women I know and don’t know who are doing the work to self-honor, honor one another, and the greater whole. I leave you with Love YOUrself, an IWD post I shared back in 2021, and deep gratitude to those of you reading this and sending me love notes each week 🩶

lulugrimm

A post shared by @lulugrimm

Love  
YOUrself  
  
If  
You  
Don’t  
Know   
How  
Seek  
It   
With   
The  
Same  
Energy  
And  
Dedication  
You’ve   
Given   
To  
Pursuing   
Something  
Outside  
Of  
Yourself  
That  
You’ve   
Been  
Told/conditioned to believe  
Will   
Make   
You   
Feel  
Or  
Know  
Love
  
Nothing  
Wrong  
With   
Any  
Of  
Those  
Things  
But   
Any  
Woman   
Who  
Has   
Plunged   
To  
The  
Depths  
Of  
Herself  
Will   
Tell  
You  
There  
Is  
No   
Greater   
Strength  
Power  
And  
Freedom  
Than  
Listening  
To  
YOUr  
Truth  
And  
Acting  
Accordingly  
  
When  
We  
Honor  
OurSELVES  
It  
Builds  
And  
Grows  
And  
Allows  
Us  
To   
Truly  
Do   
It  
Everywhere   
Else  
And   
Inspires  
Other  
Women  
To  
Do   
The   
Same  
And  
There  
Will  
Never   
Be  
Enough  
Of   
This  
  
Ever   
  
I’m  
A  
Work  
In  
Progress  
Forever  
But  
Getting  
Better  
And  
Better  
At   
This  
Everyday  
  
Grateful  
For  
The  
Women  
Who  
Model   
This   
For Me  
Always  
  
And  
For  
The   
Men   
Who  
Encourage  
And  
Support  
It  
  
Sadly  
I  
Have  
Had   
More  
Support  
From  
Men   
In   
My   
Life  
Than  
Women  
Regarding  
All   
Of  
This  
  
Let’s  
Keep  
Going  
Shall  
We  
  
Love  
YOUrself