Show Your Work (Even if It’s Imperfect)

You ever notice how kids proudly shove their crayon scribbles into your face like they just painted the Mona Lisa? No hesitation. No self-doubt. Just pure “look what I made!” energy. Somewhere between grade school art class and midlife, a lot of us lost that boldness.

And some of us never had it in the first place. Maybe no one encouraged you to share, maybe you didn’t grow up with the space or confidence to ever show your work. If that’s you, you’re not behind. You’re here now, and this is the layer where confidence starts to build.

Because here’s the thing: showing your work (even the messy, unfinished kind) is part of the growth.

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Why Showing Up Matters (Even If It’s Not Perfect)

Remember back in Post 1: Progress, Not Perfection? We talked about how small wins build momentum. Well, showing your work — whether that’s a journal entry, a new recipe attempt, a messy watercolor, or that first shaky podcast episode — is how you acknowledge those wins.

It’s not about bragging. It’s about saying: I tried, I learned, I showed up.

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Three Simple Ways to Share What You’re Learning

And I do mean simple. Nobody here is signing up for a “post daily on six platforms before breakfast” kind of challenge. Nope. These are rinse-and-repeat ways that fit into real midlife schedules:

1. Share quietly.Journaling is sharing — with yourself. It creates a record you can flip back through when you need proof that yes, you’ve actually grown. If you read Post 2: The Power of Pausing, you’ll remember how reflection deepens progress. Journaling is that pause, but on paper. It’s also a safe space to be brutally honest about your hopes and dreams for what you’ve learned — and what you’re ready (or not ready) to share with the world.

2. Share in your circle.Tell a friend what you’re working on. Send a voice note, a text, or invite her over to laugh through your attempt at learning salsa dancing. Sometimes saying it out loud makes it feel more real.

3. Share online (in small doses).No, you don’t have to launch a YouTube channel. But you can post a picture of your halfway-done knitting project, or write a two-sentence reflection on Facebook. Midlife women often underestimate how much their honesty inspires someone else who’s in the same “figuring it out” stage.

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What If It Feels Scary?

Confession: I almost didn’t start this blog because I worried about being imperfect in public — because I worried about wasting money on a website, and because I’m afraid of not achieving the long game goals. But here’s what I know: people connect to real, not polished. And here’s what I learned — I’d rather go for it and try than forever wonder.

I know what you’re thinking: that’s you, not me. But it is you. I started in a way that felt less intimidating for me. I called it a hobby — something I enjoy, something I do for me. And yet, the more I shared, the more I realized others felt seen, less alone, and dare I say… normal.

First came the website (steep learning curve, with the odds of anyone stumbling across it feeling pretty slim). Then I stacked it with corresponding pins on Pinterest (yep, another learning curve). I inched forward again by sharing a Pinterest post with a few family and friends — safe, but it was time to share. And now there’s an IG page (yes, another learning curve and another step further into the world). Through it all, I’ve kept moving because I want to, because I enjoy it, and because — introvert alert — I’ve mostly stayed faceless. For now, that feels right.

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Midlife Confidence Hack: Rinse & Repeat

If you’ve been following this series, you already know: nothing here is about adding more chaos to your plate. It’s about weaving progress into the life you already have. That’s why showing your work pairs beautifully with microlearning (Post 5) — because when you learn in small bites, you’ll naturally have more to share in small bites.

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Bottom Line

Showing your work doesn’t mean putting on a Broadway show. It means letting yourself be seen — by you, by a friend, by a tiny online circle. Imperfections and all.

I’m still in my “figuring it out” phase too. And maybe, just maybe, it’s me who needs to see what you share.

Because midlife confidence doesn’t come from finally being perfect. It comes from practicing, sharing, laughing at the mess, and realizing you’re still growing.

Or maybe it comes from no longer giving a fu*k and doing it because you simply want to.

So consider this your permission slip: show your work. Scribbles, typos, half-baked ideas and all. You never know who might need to see it — starting with you.

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