Failure:The Other F Word

Dear Friends:

It fills me with sadness, relief, gratitude and joy to bid you, and Screen Time Lifeline, Adieu.

Sadness because I love this work, and it is hard to say goodbye.

Relief to finally be letting go of what's no longer serving me.

Gratitude for every single one of you who has supported me, attended retreats and events, collaborated, invited me to speak, had me on your podcast, written articles about Screen Time Lifeline, and sent me notes of encouragement along the way.

Joy for the space and freedom I am creating for myself with this decision.

A couple of weeks ago, immediately after I sent out the email announcing my May retreat, I started to feel anxious. Anxiety turned to dread turned to sleepless nights, and I realized that I did not have it in me to promote another event. I love the work, but honestly find the marketing hustle soul-crushing. So, I did a scary thing and canceled the retreat.

Can we talk about the F Word?

Let's take this opportunity to normalize failure. This is a taboo topic in the world of scrappy passion projects. Because the truth is, by all mainstream measures of success, Screen Time Lifeline has been a bust. And rather than sending a vague and chirpy newsletter sugar-coating this reality I want to be honest with you.

There have been many moments of success over the past 3 years. I feel fantastic about the work I've done, the curriculum I've created, and the experiences I've had the honor of facilitating. Most importantly, Screen Time Lifeline has gifted me deep friendships with brilliant people who I love very much.

But, the reality is that after tons of effort and many, many hours of overwork, this project has never really taken off or broken even. After hiring an incredible marketing person, slogging away on social media, and building up a mailing list of 700 people, every event I have held has been a struggle to fill. It's a tough sell to ask people to put down their phones. Especially during a pandemic when, for many of us, digital connections have been sustaining and non-negotiable.

And that's ok. Because failure is common and human and I have come to believe that humility is one of the most important qualities to cultivate for a meaningful life. Despite some grief, it honestly feels amazing to let go.

If you would like to continue to dive deeper into the topic of screen-life balance, please check out the work of two of my dear and brilliant friends, Mehret Biruk and doreen dodgen-magee.

Please stay in touch and thank you so much for your love and support along the way.

(photo credit for image: Photo Credit: Stevie Rotella)