YOU CAN'T GET IT RIGHT AND THAT'S WHERE TRUE FREEDOM BEGINS

Have you ever heard the expression, there are no wrong answers? Or maybe, there are no dumb questions.

- WRITTEN BY SHERRY PARKS

These are things I’ve heard my whole life. Especially in the coaching world, we ask questions and then say, you can't get it wrong—just answer from the heart.

I have a feeling you've heard these expressions too.

On a recent retreat I participated in, the leader asked us to do something and instead of saying you can't get it wrong, she accidentally said “You can’t get it right.”

After she realized what she'd said, she paused—and then explained that she actually stood by it. It’s impossible to get everything “right” all the time, so why not embrace that? In the context of the retreat, it felt incredibly freeing. Like I could just be present, knowing it was impossible to get things “right,” so I could finally stop trying.

I brought that statement home with me, and I've fallen in love with it. It's become a little compass I use in daily life:

• The day doesn’t go as planned? Oh well, there is no “right,” so just go with it. Having a tough interaction and can't quite find the perfect words? There’s no right way—just speak your truth.

• A work project doesn’t land the way you wanted? That's okay—maybe there’s no right or wrong, just what is.

• Overspend your budget? You'll never have a flawless plan. It will work out.

The more I try this on, the more I notice how often I've been carrying the weight of “doing it right.” In love, work, money—really in everything—there’s this constant background pressure to get it perfect. And when I inevitably fall short of that impossible standard, I beat myself up.