Dahlia Season Consulting

My kettlebell coach yells this at me, after correcting my form. Usually my squat form. Squats are just hard for me. 

“Your squat is terrible, but you’re still a good person!” 

The squat is just a skill I haven’t yet mastered. But it has no relevance to my worth as a human. I can separate these things easily. 

It’s less easy to disentangle my worth from my work, but I practice this separation daily. 

If I don’t market my business perfectly, I’m still a good person. Who needs to learn how to market herself.

If I’m terrible about getting invoices paid on time, I’m still a good person. Who needs to practice holding strong boundaries.

And you are too. You are still a good person.

Even if your code had a bug.

Even if you wrote a test that couldn’t fail.

Even if you asked your team members to do things they didn’t have the skill to do, and then asked them again, more forcefully.

Even if you were triggered and were accidentally rude to a colleague.

You can learn to increase your technical skill and practice, to lead with empathy and kindness, to understand your own emotional state and your effect on others. You can learn these skills.

You are still a good person.