Shame

The Luxury You Can’t Afford This Week

There are moments in life that force you to make bold choices, choices you believe are right, even when you can’t fully see where they’ll lead. For me, one of those choices was ending four beautiful, stretching, chaotic years of homeschooling my kids and enrolling them in regular school.

We made that shift in January. It felt necessary, right even. But it came with more turbulence than I anticipated.

The truth is, it was hard. Hard on them and hard on me. Nothing about that transition was smooth. There were days I questioned every decision. Nights I lay awake, wondering if I had made the right call. Weeks where I watched them struggle and blamed myself. I spiraled mentally more than once. The doubt was loud. The shame was louder.

Yet, here we are. It’s a new term. Tomorrow, we go again. Not because everything is perfect, not because all my questions have been answered but because I’ve realized something powerful: to succeed, to truly succeed in life, there will be days and even seasons when you simply cannot afford the luxury of shame.

Shame is a Thief

Shame feeds on your second-guessing and makes a home in your most tender places. It tells you you’re the only one struggling, the only one who’s unsure, the only one who is not getting it right.

However, that is not the truth. The truth is that every big decision, especially the ones made out of love and vision, comes with bumps, learning curves, and unexpected costs. And sometimes, even when it gets messy, you have to stand by your choices and grow through the process.

Let’s Talk About This Week

If you’re like me, maybe you’re stepping into a new week with a bit of dread. Maybe you are not where you hoped you’d be by now. Maybe the weight of last week (or last term) is still sitting on your shoulders, here’s your reminder: you can still go forward.

This isn’t the time to shrink back or beat yourself up. It’s the time to get up, dust yourself off, and walk into this new week with the grace to begin again.

Here are some actionable reminders for the week:

1. Name the Storm

What’s the thing weighing you down right now? A decision you regret? A result you didn’t get? Name it. Sometimes the act of simply saying, “This was hard, but I’m still here,” is what shifts the energy.

2. Choose One Courageous Act

This week, do something that reflects the person you’re becoming, not the one you fear you were last week (or last term). Show up at drop-off with hope. Make that tough call. Say the encouraging thing. Do the courageous stuff. You'll be surprised at how much courage compounds.

3. Be Gentle With Yourself

This isn’t a boot camp. This is life. Talk to yourself with the same tenderness you’d give your child. You don’t have to have it all figured out to keep going.

4. Commit to the Now

You can’t rewrite the last chapter, but you can shape this one. What can you do today that your future self will thank you for?

5. Identify 5 Things you're Grateful for

Thinking about and mentioning the things that are going okay for me and counting my blessings, small and big made a significant difference. It will for you too.

This Week…

If you’re carrying shame, I get it. I’ve carried it, too. I’ve worried I ruined things. I’ve wondered if I was enough. But I’ve also learned that most of the time, the fact that we care this much means we’re already on the right path.

So as my kids put on their uniforms and we head out again into the unknown of a new term, I’m choosing to walk forward with heart open and shoulders steady. I’m choosing to believe in fresh starts, in messy grace, in the quiet strength of doing our best, again. I want to invite you to do the same.

Leave the shame.

Keep the lesson.

Take the step.