There is one in every group. The lucky one that has the tinney gift of always getting the great tickets for shows and concerts and always finds the great hotel deals or most amazing random holiday spots.

I am neither. I am sooooo neither, that recently I had an epic fail.

While frantically trying to get tickets for my daughter to Olivia Rodrigo (Singer, aka next Taylor Swift), we had 5 devices going and on one of the screens we finally got through!!

OMG, cue the absolute heart pounding excitement and, utter terror because I have often timed out or stuffed this sort of thing up. Panic does weird things to me.

We got 2 VIP tickets in the cart and then my daughter screamed “go back, we need 2 more for my friends” argh!!

I went back and it did glitch a little for a split second but then appeared ok.

We put our details in to pay the ridiculous price and hit confirm - utter joy exploded in the room while we jumped up and down and screamed (in relief) My daughter was so happy, my heart expanded for her joy.

UNTIL…………. I went into my email and saw the blinding words I cannot unsee - “Congratulations, you have purchased 6! VIP tickets to SHOOSHIE MANGO” I thought I was going to vomit there and then. My daughter was still jumping up and down in front of me with pure joy. My face must have gone white because she stopped jumping and said “What’s wrong mum?”

I said “Oh no hunny I brought tickets to another show. I’m so sorry.” then I continued with “Who the fuck is Shooshie Mango and googled the show to find an Australian comedy show that I now had 6 tickets to. AND because I was trying to save every penny, I clicked on the button that said “non-refundable” to try and save $140 - IDIOT!!

My daughter was crying, I still had the overwhelming urge to vomit and was now out of pocket a lot of money! FARRRRKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More evidence that I am not the person to buy anything special online, this is not my first stuff up either - when will I learn.

So yeah, I stuff up and I’m human and all that stuff. I know my strengths, and I do have plenty and I am aware of my weaknesses and where I do not have luck…

The moment I realised my mistake, my inner dialogue started to unravel:

“You’re too busy.”
“You don’t pay attention.”
“You’re rushing again. Why can’t you slow down?”

Sound familiar?

For many high-functioning women, especially those of us juggling business, family, healing work, and the mental load of everything these small mistakes can feel like huge failures. Not because they actually are, but because we’ve internalised the idea that we must always be on top of it all.

But here’s the thing:
We are allowed to mess up.
We are allowed to be human.
And we are allowed to laugh about it (after the initial fury settles).

Note to Gayle - You are not the person to drive Ticketek… delegate - for the love of God, delegate.

Can anyone tell me - can I outsource ticket purchases? I don’t trust myself in the future and I cannot go through that rollercoaster of emotions again.

Maybe you’ve done something recently that made you cringe.
Maybe you’re beating yourself up over a forgotten task, a missed deadline, or a silly mistake.

Take a breath.
Put your hand on your heart.
And remind yourself: I’m doing the best I can.

Then laugh if you can. Cry if you need.
And maybe, share the story with someone who’ll laugh with you.

🎧 Want More Real Talk?

While this exact story isn’t in the podcast (yet!), you’ll find similar reflections on letting go of performance, embracing your mess, and showing up anyway in Episode 2 and Episode 5 of the Soul Care Healing Podcast.

Gayle

xoxoxoxoxo