Doing New Things and Accepting Good Enough
A week in the life of learning that everything doesn't have to be perfect right away to be valid. It's okay to start slow.
PERSONAL GROWTH *(Becoming Less of a Mess)*
What I’m realizing: The life I want isn’t waiting for me at some imaginary finish line. I need to stop sprinting toward “there” and start actually living here.
What actually happened: I keep catching myself in this pattern: work harder, do more, burn out, quit, feel like a failure, repeat. This week I finally articulated why that doesn’t work: I’m making myself miserable now trying to get to some future place where I’m supposedly going to be happy. But that’s a lie. The better version is building a life I want to live *right now* while making tiny improvements, and letting that be enough.
What might help you: Ask yourself: “Am I building a life I want to live, or am I punishing myself until I ‘deserve’ to live it?” If you’re waiting to be happy/balanced/calm until you’ve “made it,” you’re going to be waiting forever. What’s one thing that would make today feel more like the life you actually want? Start there.
Why this matters: You can’t hate yourself into a version of yourself you love. Neither can I. Contentment in the present while moving forward beats grinding yourself into burnout every single time.
SPIRITUALITY *(Finding Meaning When Everything Feels Pointless)*
What I’m questioning: Does painting count as spiritual practice if it’s not explicitly about God?
What actually happened: I painted one morning for 20 minutes. No worship music, no Bible, no “God layer” on top. Just me, paint, and silence. And it set the tone for my entire day—I felt centered, regulated, calm. It was meditative in a way that didn’t require sitting still or clearing my mind or any of the things traditional meditation demands. So now I’m wondering: does something have to be explicitly religious to be spiritual? Or is the act of regulating my nervous system, starting my day from a calm place, and showing up as the person I want to be *already* an act of worship?
What might help you: If traditional spiritual practices don’t work for your brain, give yourself permission to try something else. Painting, walking, gardening, cooking, movement—anything that helps you feel grounded and connected. You don’t have to force a “God layer” on it to make it count. Maybe the sacredness is in the care itself.
Why this matters: Maybe spirituality for neurodivergent people often doesn’t look like what we were taught it should - I’m still exploring this idea. And if it doesn’t, that doesn’t make it less valid. (Also, silence is allowed to be part of your practice. Not everything has to be productive or loud or explicitly labeled.)
Just a quick post to remind me that I don’t have to have it all figured out immediately. I’m doing a great job just by putting in the effort, trying, and learning. And to remind all of you that we’re all building this as we go.
Samantha
What are YOU sitting with this week? Hit reply and tell me—I read everything.
