Don't give up - Tabitha Dumas

{Based on a Facebook post from 9/5/22}

It’s on repeat for me.

As I prep for a color analysis tomorrow with a complete stranger and have to move boxes and bins out of my office that I just moved IN my office to clear the dining room for company yesterday. As I border on tears (and frequently give in) for two days because of relationship strife. When I see real-life friends unsubscribe from my emails and wonder why. When I try to plan a fall event and wonder if I have the energy to pull it off. When old friends lose touch or unfriend me, when no one accepts a play date invitation, when the to-do list feels overwhelming.

This is not a post looking for sympathy or solutions or anything…it’s just an acknowledgement of so many of us working toward something bigger. Those of us with a calling. Those of us who keep going even when stuff falls apart and people disappoint us and WE disappoint people (oooohhh, the disappointment).

I’m reminding all of us…don’t give up. Don’t let the critics win. Don’t let your quirks, fails, shortcomings or imperfections stop you.

In fact…keep SHOWING up! Make the ask. Host the event. Start the group. Invite her over. We need you! Don’t give up!

Will we mess up? YES. I mess up all the time! In fact…I’m convinced that the more we try to “put ourselves out there,” the more we will falter.

But the only people who stumble are the ones moving forward.

Sure, I start and stop. I make mistakes. I drop the ball. I pivot. I make it *the point of my life* to keep the peace and make people’s lives easier yet *stuff still happens.* I cannot over-emphasize this enough. Try as you might…you’re not going to please everyone. It’s such a cliché but it’s worth repeating. You will have people who unsubscribe, who say “no thanks,” who don’t get you, who aren’t comfortable saying yes to whatever you’re offering, who have specific hang-ups and hesitations that simply make you a bad fit. Or maybe you didn’t answer their email, or commented something snarky, or didn’t acknowledge a big life event of theirs…and they just can’t move past it. We all have those people in our lives. You are that person to someone!

This isn’t just about business, either. It’s any time you expose yourself or offer your gifts or try a new venture.

It’s rough out there. The people who influence and inspire you? They don’t give up. Aren’t you glad THEY kept going?? Someone out there needs YOU to keep going.

If you need some encouragement, reach out to me. We NEED each other and life can feel awfully lonely at times, especially when we try really hard and feel like we never measure up or can never do enough.

Please…don’t give up. Remember your “why.” Remind yourself why you started. Keep going

We have to!