I’m inspired. Today I attended #thiscanhappen18, a huge conference on mental health. I learnt a lot and I truly believe courage is contagious. So this week for #truthtuesdays I want to invite you to #shareyourfailures. What is one tough lesson you have learnt? One of mine was this past summer. I was halfway through my album crowdfunding campaign and I had just done Episode 01 of my livestream series from @jason_mraz’s hotel room to 95,000 viewers, followed by @billbailey the following week with more high profile guests lined up every week over the next few weeks. My fundraising total had got off to a strong start but had then sat firmly at 15% and wasn’t looking likely to hit 100. The fear of public failure was building to a fever pitch even as the profile was building. I had started to spin out, ironically my mental health flared up, and I had to cancel all my guests so I could rest. I felt awful and ashamed - like I had let people down and let myself down. It was painful, but simultaneously empowering to be able to put my hands up and say “hey - I’m not ok”. After a break I came back, this time working a little slower and with more purpose. Doing the show monthly, instead of weekly gave me the time to do it carefully, and gave my audience more of a chance to catch them all. Now I’ve got exciting guests booked well into next year. My album is funded, recorded, and the next single is out this Friday. I have been speaking on music industry panels about mental health. Plus I have just found out I will be giving a TED talk next year about my journey with mental health. My hard learned lesson: when you’re pushing your own boundaries it’s ok to go slow. To ebb and flow and let the waves of success and withdrawal happen naturally is how we can make that crucial progress, rather than to beat ourselves up over the perceived lack of perfection. What is your hard learned lesson? #shareyourfailures #progressnotperfection #practisemakesprogress #mentalhealthmatters #endthestigma #wellbeing @tinadaheley @thiscanhappenevents @zahrabahrololoumi @lauralovescrocs (at InterContinental London - The O2) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqaXSZfATdM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1oo3xph8x3n3b
