I Almost Bailed. Here’s Why I’m So Glad I Didn’t.
On ego, shadow work, showing up anyway, and a high five that changed everything.
Let me set the scene. Last week was rough. Like, exhausted-to-my-bones, can’t-quite-pinpoint-why rough. I’m sure some of it had to do with things happening at home, and honestly — with the planetary shifts happening — I don’t think I was alone in that feeling.
But as the weekend got closer, a different kind of resistance started creeping in. I had tickets to see Mel Robbins at the Orpheum in Minneapolis with two of my favorite humans on the planet. And instead of excitement? I kept thinking: “Do I really want to go? I know it will be fun spending the day with the ladies, but… I’m a little Mel’d out.”
Sound familiar? That quiet voice that talks you out of the exact thing you need?
The Day We Made Out of It
I’m so glad I showed up anyway.
We made a full day of it — and it was exactly what my soul needed before I even sat down in that theatre. My very first Nautical Bowl (YUM, by the way, where has this been all my life?), a little shopping at Trader Joe’s because of course, and dinner at Crave in Minneapolis — a place I’d never been but am absolutely going back to.
Danyal had pre-planned parking right next to the theatre, which — if you know anything about navigating downtown Minneapolis — is genuinely a love language. We walked into Crave and I looked around and said, “I think everyone in here is going across the street to see Mel.” And honestly? I was right. I have never seen so many groups of women in one restaurant at one time. The laughter, the different dynamics from table to table, the energy in the room — it was something really beautiful to witness.
What My Resistance Was Really Telling Me
Here’s where I want to get real with you for a second.
That “I don’t really want to go” feeling? That wasn’t just tiredness. That was my ego — that bitch — reflecting something back at my shadow self. It was trying to hold me back from greatness, from receiving the exact message I needed to hear.
This is something I talk to clients about all the time: resistance is often the clearest sign you’re about to step into something real. It’s not a stop sign. It’s a signal.
And they say sometimes when you don’t feel like doing something, it’s exactly what you need. This was one of those times.
The Orpheum, the Women, and the Tears Before She Even Started
The theatre was packed. Women — and a handful of men — ready for the message. I thought I knew what to expect. I really did. I was wrong in the best possible way.
I had tears before Mel even got started.
So much of what she shared resonated with where I am right now. I could see the version of me that’s evolving in her story. I felt so much of what she was saying in my soul, and I also found myself wishing that certain people I love who are struggling could have been in that room to hear it.
She touched on so much more than the ‘Let Them Theory.’ She put things into perspective. She related everything to real life. It was more than I could have ever imagined.
The Moment That Cracked Me Open
But the moment that hit the hardest? It wasn’t even something Mel said.
My friends leaned over to me, high fived me, and said: “You’re doing the thing.”
I felt every emotion possible in that moment.
Because the honest truth? I’ve cried more times than I’d like to admit over this dream. I’ve compared myself to others. I’ve thought about throwing in the towel. I’ve questioned whether any of it matters or whether I’m even cut out for this.
But in that moment, with my friends beside me and Mel on that stage, I knew: I have to keep going. I need to keep following this dream.
What I’m Carrying Home From That Night
One of the biggest things I took away: Act like the person you need to be, not how you feel.
There are a lot of days I feel defeated. I show up anyway. I keep doing the thing, knowing it’s part of the process — even on the days it doesn’t feel like it.
At the end of the night, Mel had everyone in the audience grab a sheet from their notebook and write down what they’d do if money didn’t matter. Then we folded them up and started passing them around the room. By the end, we each held a stranger’s dream.
I don’t know whose dream I’m holding. But I hope one day, they get to live it. ♥
The Moral of This Story
Keep showing up. Even on the days you don’t want to. Especially on those days.
It won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But it’s possible. Your dreams are possible. And sometimes the resistance you feel right before something great is just your ego trying to protect you from the version of yourself that’s about to emerge.
See through it. Show up anyway. You’re doing the thing.
With love,
Lindsey