June Marion, Intrepid Failure’s first speaker ever shared a story of climbing Half Dome with her little sister, Shayna. June’s story Failure is in the Eyes of the Beholder was an examination of how she and her sister failed that trip “in every aspect.” The overall feeling and outcome of their trip was completely different, Shayna held the perception of failure, while June held the perception of empowerment. Listen to the full story HERE:
Interestingly enough, in our recent follow up conversation with June on her Intrepid Failure story, she states “I didn’t get vulnerable in that talk. Sure, climbing Half Dome is badass and a serious challenge for many, but still, I didn’t talk about where I am really failing with my life.” She giggles, shifts her gaze, and lowers her voice: “you know that I’m failing so hard at this home ownership thing.” She continues, “When I try a new sport, I expect to fail. When I fall off my bike, take a whipper climbing, swim out of my kayak, or fall after hucking a cliff on my snowboard, I don’t feel like I failed, I know it’s a part of the process. I am pushing myself to learn, grow, and become better.”
“When I try a new sport, I expect to fail. When I fall off my bike, take a whipper climbing, swim out of my kayak, or fall after hucking a cliff on my snowboard, I don’t feel like I failed, I know it’s a part of the process. I am pushing myself to learn, grow, and become better.”
June didn’t have expectations–or at least conscious expectations–when buying a house until she realized she couldn’t do it all: gutting the house, rewiring the electric, managing weeds in garden beds and never ending yard work, opening up a wall between the kitchen and living room, and building a 2nd story AUD with a deck, french doors and a staircase. Although this might sound like an impressive list of June’s achievements, her perception of this is not of achievements but struggle and failure. Meeting force with resistance, she has wrestled with how she was failing at owning her own home. She didn’t see how far she had come but rather focused on how much more there was to do.
After two years of struggle and failure June was faced with a choice; suck it up and love yourself (and your home) or live the rest of your days criticizing your house and tangentially yourself. She had to totally reframe her perception and opinion of what was going on; “My house projects have been a serious lesson of opening my heart and softening it towards my house which in turn is reflected towards myself. I have started to allow the imperfections, recognize that I can’t do it all myself. In fact, I don’t want to do it all myself! People that know and love me are happy to help and it’s more fun. Asking is the hard part. It’s vulnerable admitting that you don’t have it all under control. Incidentally, no one else thinks I am failing at home owning. In fact, overwhelmingly, people tell me they are motivated, impressed and inspired by the way I get after my DIY house projects.” Thus, failure is in the eye of the beholder.
With her internal work, June now reflects that she loves her home. She states: “Is my house done? No. Is it perfect? No. Will it ever be done or perfect? No. Is there an abundant amount of love in my house? Yes!” June currently shares her home with 5 tenants! She is constantly striving to ensure that the space is open, fun, accommodating and inclusive for all. “There is so much joy, laughter, co-existence, and community in my home. This is what makes it beautiful, wonderful, and unique.”
“If I had the opportunity to tell another story for Intrepid Failure,” she concludes, “maybe I would talk about home ownership, but I would try to examine where I am really failing in my life, or at least feel like I am failing, and share that.”
INTREPID FAILURE 