Some days are hard. Some weeks are hard. Some months are hard. And some years are hard. Parts of life are hard. That’s something we all experience in this life. But more that matters is how we handle those hard times.

I have officially started my fifth year of teaching. It’s crazy to be in the swing of things, developing relationships with my students, and figuring out all the things that come with a new year. One thing that has been consistent over all of my years of teaching is the idea that each day is new. That has been one of the things I have always needed with the district that I teach in. My students come from lots of backgrounds, and many of them need kindness every day. This also means that I need kindness every day. I can’t hold onto grudges to be an effective teacher. I need to let the day go and start again with the next day.

I am trying to work on showing that same kindness to myself in my personal life. July was a lot for me. There were a lot of good things about July, but there were a lot of things that kept me busy too. As a result, I really neglected doing my bullet journal for most of the month. Now, as I’m trying to get back into an effective routine, I am struggling to return to that consistent place.

Trying and rising again are not things that come easily to me. I want to get things right the first time. I want to be perfect and never make mistakes. I know that is unhealthy and unrealistic, but that is how my brain wants to work. Oftentimes, when I am down or something goes wrong, it is easier for me to quit than to try to rise again. It takes a lot of strength. I usually don’t want to be seen as a failure or like I did something that was wrong. I would honestly rather abandon the attempt than admit failure.

But I am working on trying to rise again. I am recognizing that the goals that I set for myself can be too high for most other people. I’m the one who sets these high standards for myself. The things that I might consider a failure for myself aren’t things other people consider to be a failure. I didn’t fail because I neglected my bullet journal for a month. I can pick myself up, dust myself off, and try again.

It has taken me a lot to get here, and I’m not perfect at it. I still have a lot to do and a long way to go. I don’t think I’m the only one. If I were, then I wouldn’t feel the need to post this. So I write this to myself as well to others who need to hear it. It’s okay to rise again. Scrape yourself off, brush off the dirt, and do amazing things. Your journey is not someone else’s. Your progress is not their progress. They may be in a marathon, but you’re in the hurdles. One is not better than the other. They are completely different races. You might not be in a race at all. You might be a gymnast, where you’re only competing against yourself. I don’t know the situation. But I know that you can get up, rise again, and succeed, even if you think you won’t be able to or looked at in the same way. You got this, even when it feels like you don’t. I’m rooting for you, and I’m rooting for me. We can do this!