During mediation today I remembered a harsh critique that I got during a speech competition in 11th grade and cringed about the embarrassment I felt with my peers. It was one of those situations where I was pretty much the weakest link on the team. It wasn’t my finest moment with performance pressure and lack of skills.

My mind and my body were instantly drawn back many decades to the feeling that I felt in that moment. That memory came back because it was super-charged with emotion. The funny thing is that I really don’t remember what happened before and after that moment that day. Those few minutes were deeply felt and still resonate.

Another interesting fact is that no one else is going to remember that moment. I hate to say it, but no one is really paying attention to you. Someone that is really bored or has resentment in their lives may say, “I wish we would have won that competition. John should have performed better.” I seriously doubt that is happening.

My point today is that we are our harshest critics and, at the same time, our bodies and minds keep track of these types of moments in order to remind us of things to avoid next time. It is nature’s way of protecting us from hurts, although hurts are inevitable and necessary in order to feel the moments in our lives. You’re not always going to get it right and that’s okay. At least you are taking a swing at life.

Living a life without deeply felt moments isn’t really worth living.