Some of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned didn’t come from success, they came from moments I once felt ashamed of.
As adults, especially in professional settings, we often judge past versions of ourselves harshly.
We ask “Why didn’t I speak up?” or “Why didn’t I act differently?”
Those questions ignore a crucial truth: we did what we could with the resources, safety, and awareness we had at the time.
This reflection is at the heart of a recent article I shared with SBS Insight, exploring how trauma, survival, and self-judgment intersect, and why grace (towards ourselves and others) matters more than logic in hindsight.
“We all have life-defining moments we feel stupid or ashamed about. But I believe it’s important that we are open-minded and generous when hearing about situations when someone perhaps didn’t behave in the most logical way – or just did what they thought they needed to do to survive. This experience was traumatic, but it also taught me something valuable: grace for myself and for others.”
Where might grace serve you better than judgment right now?
With Thanks to Cat Black for the beautiful, bold photos and to SBS News for gentle handling of this story.
