08/21/2026
After my divorce, I had to learn how to mow a lawn for the first time.
At the time, it felt like a much bigger deal than mowing grass.
I bought an electric mower off Facebook Marketplace, wheeled it into my yard, and got to work.
I was nervous.
Not because mowing is particularly difficult, but because I had never done it before.
I was worried I'd mess it up.
I worried I'd look foolish.
I worried my neighbors would see how clueless I was.
As it turns out, I wasn't wrong.
The grass was too long. I wanted to bag the clippings, but nothing was going into the bag. Grass was blowing across the driveway, onto the sidewalk, and clumping throughout the yard.
And then the voice in my head got loud.
"You look like an idiot."
"Your neighbors are probably watching this disaster."
"You have no idea what you're doing, and it shows."
What surprised me wasn't that I had those thoughts.
I've been a life coach for over five years. I know we all have an inner critic.
What surprised me was how quickly and harshly that voice showed up when I felt vulnerable.
Then something shifted. Years of inner work kicked-in, and I caught myself.
I asked:
"What outcome is this kind of self-talk going to create?"
I was already nervous. Why was I making it harder?
So I chose a different response.
I reminded myself that vulnerability is normal when we're learning something new.
That courage doesn't look like confidence—it looks like showing up anyway.
That I was a competent, capable woman figuring something out for the very first time.
I lifted my chin, kept mowing, and finished my yard.
Was it perfect?
Not even close.
Did I struggle?
Absolutely.
Did I figure it out?
Yes.
And every time I've mowed since, it's gotten easier.
Today, I actually enjoy it.
Not because I became an expert lawn mower, but because that experience reinforced something important:
Trusting yourself isn't believing you'll do everything perfectly.
It's believing you'll figure it out, even when you don't know what you're doing yet.
Sometimes growth looks like profound breakthroughs.
And sometimes it looks like mowing your lawn while trying not to launch grass across the neighborhood.
