“I am a masterpiece… and a mess.” The moment I heard that, I thought, “Oh sh*t, that’s me!” I laughed so hard that people on the train platform gave me those curious looks you get when you’re just a bit too loud in public. But it stuck with me, because it perfectly describes how I’ve felt my entire life. It was the first time someone so simply named what I had been living all along.

And I bet you can relate to that. 

When I think about it, my experience feels like a constant balancing act. Sometimes I feel like a total mess. Other times, I’m more of a ‘regular messy.’ And yes, in certain moments, I feel like I’m closer to a masterpiece—not in some self-admiring way, but in a way that comes from self-appreciation.

What I’ve learned from navigating my own life—and helping others do the same—is that we’re all a mix of imperfection and potential. We have rough edges of insecurity, sweaty palms of anxiety, and awkward moments of shame. But at the same time, these imperfections are part of what makes us capable of beautiful things. We feel, we breathe, we create, we love. We make others feel seen, heard, and cared for. That’s the essence of being human.

Yet, too often, we focus on the messiness. We wrestle with it, letting it take up space in our minds and shape the stories we tell ourselves. We allow it to define what we think we can—or, more often, can’t—do.

I’m definitely guilty of that. For years, I’ve wrestled with my own messiness—what it is, how it shows up, and how it keeps messing with my plans. But gradually, I’ve started to see it differently. Instead of fighting it, I began getting curious about it. What is it really trying to tell me? What if my messiness is also part of what leads me to those masterpiece moments?

The more I’ve leaned into this curiosity, the less I’ve felt the need to struggle against the mess. Instead, I’ve started building a relationship with it. I’ve learned to identify which parts of it need more attention, how to ride the waves it creates, and, most importantly, how to accept it. Not because I want to stop growing, but because I want life to feel a little lighter, a little more playful.

Is it easy? No, definitely not. But it’s not impossible either. The path looks different for each of us. And yet, at some point, it will likely involve looking into a metaphorical—or maybe even a real—mirror and seeing all of what makes you who you are: the mess, the masterpiece, and everything in between.

So next time you catch a glimpse of yourself, what masterpiece and mess will you see?

Much love,
R

P.S. I heard the quote on Brene Brown podcast ‘Unlocking us’, the episode with Jason Reynolds.