What if as I go through life and stumble upon my shortcomings and flaws, I was no longer disappointed or appalled? What if instead, I found peace, and excitement even, that I’ve discovered another opportunity to grow? A new way to be formed into who I am meant to be?

“You’re late!” my 80-year-old friend Gladimer said in his thick Russian accent. “I know, I know.” I sighed, “But at least I showed up.”

You’d be surprised how different things could be if for once, you just bet on your hopes + dreams.

So may you have 10 seconds of courage today, where you say what you normally wouldn’t say. May your vulnerability be met with a sigh of relief as you learn, you too, are not alone.

Who wants to be confident? Everyone. Many of us are just waiting for that day when we will wake up, look in the mirror, + love ourselves, feeling totally confident in our own skin. But what we don’t realize is that our confidence is like a garden that needs to be tended to.