A piece of feedback landed in my inbox a while back that hit me hard:

It knocked the wind out of me.

I had spent years learning when to step in and when to step back. Years trying to help without accidentally crowding others out. Years refining how to show up with intention instead of taking charge by default. I thought I had finally gotten it right. I thought my intent was clear.

And then that feedback showed up.

Suddenly it felt like I had slid all the way back down the mountain I had worked so hard to climb. My confidence cracked. I questioned everything. I felt like I had failed a hundred times over.

It took time to steady myself again. But eventually I noticed something. I was staring so hard at that slip that I had forgotten the larger landscape.

So I zoomed out.

And when I did, that stumble, the one that felt enormous in the moment, was just a tiny mark on the side of a mountain I had already spent years climbing.

The feedback still stung. It did not magically resolve the frustration I felt. And it certainly did not rewrite the facts of what actually happened.

But zooming out helped me reset my expectations, understand the situation more clearly, and remember who I have become over the years, not who I was in that moment of disappointment.

Miscommunication happens. People react in ways we cannot predict. Situations unfold outside our control. We do not always get the benefit of the doubt we hope for.

But we do get to choose our response. And we do get to choose the perspective we carry forward.

That choice is often the most impactful form of leadership. It’s the part no one sees but everyone feels. When we zoom out, reset, and focus on the distance we’ve traveled, it sets a tone that others can feel and often follow. 

Because our growth is not measured by the occasional stumble, but by the commitment to keep climbing.

💭 What's one piece of tough feedback you had to zoom out on to realize it was just a tiny mark on your journey?