Failure Never Felt So Good
When we launched The Well Life Foundation in January we adopted a unifying mission – to support and empower women to actualize their potential, awaken their dreams, and play a powerful role in inspiring peace by providing tools and guidance to achieve a life of balance and joy. Then we designed a plan and developed a program. We put our heart and our energy into creating a series of workshops that led women through guided and focused Dreaming and Planning, and then we went out into the world to offer it. And something surprising (to us) happened.
No one seemed to want it.
We were perplexed. Disappointed. What was going on? I can’t deny there were rough moments of self-doubt, fear, and sadness. Then I redoubled my efforts- maybe I wasn’t being persuasive enough, descriptive enough? So I tried to sell it harder – better.
And failed again.
Finally, I went back to our founder, Briana Borten, with the problem and laid it out. We discussed it. Meditated on it. Considered it from every angle. Got outside input. And then?
We decided to change direction.
Beginning this fall, we’ll be working to serve women who want to make their lives better by providing scholarships to a program that gives them a shot at a long-term and sustainable career doing work that fulfills and inspires them. We’ll also begin a funding program for small community projects by and for women. Projects that serve women in their communities, fulfilling the needs they bring to us.
It can be so hard to change your course when it becomes clear you’ve made a wrong turn. After all, we’d gone out into the world with this plan. We’d committed! Would it look like we had failed? Would it look like I’d screwed up?
But this work isn’t about how it looks. It’s about serving women & the collective, and inspiring peace. When we kept that mission in mind, above all else, our path became so clear. We couldn’t forge ahead with a plan that attempted to drag women to it. Instead, we would go where the women are. We would go where the needs are. We would meet women where they are right now.
We’re so excited about this new direction. Failure never felt so good.
To learn more about these changes, come visit our newly updated website at welllifefoundation.org.
Then you tell us – what do women need in your community? What needs can we meet?
We’re back on track, and ready to give. Join us.
Sincerely,
About Post Author
I love the words of this and how what we design can sometimes morph and change, and if we are open to it, become so much more that meets our vision than what we had thought. When it comes to the needs of “women” in my community, I have it on my heart that once I am settled into a community (we move pretty often right now), that I will be renewing my foster care licensing to specifically take care of pregnant teens and young mothers who need to be placed with their babies. I am a former foster parent, and an adoptive mom x3 (also a bio mom x3). I believe there is a huge amount of healing and teaching that needs to be done with this particular sector of (young) women. We all know sometimes kids age out of foster care…but imagine aging out with a child who depends on you. Heartbreaking. I want to be a part of changing that, and setting these women onto a path where they can live a life of wonder where they recognize their divine worth and beauty.
Heather, what an incredible need to have identified! I’m so glad you are preparing to serve in that way, and interested to hear more about how you do it. Let us know how we can help!