Embarrassing Moments. Ever had any of those???

By Laura Dixon, Ph.D.

Published February 10, 2022

I can think of a few…. When I was the lead in a High School musical, I completely forgot my lines and forgetting I was attached to a microphone, feeling like the director was trying to help me just behind the spot light, I whispered into the microphone “what?” which reverberated off the walls (that’s not the kind of spot light I wanted on myself). Another time, in an attempt to sing the national anthem at a college ice hockey game, I slipped on the ice just after starting to sing, causing me to scream into the microphone, again reverberating off the walls. I was so flustered I started the song higher which didn’t end well. Are you catching the microphone theme here?! (Maybe I just want to be heard).  In high school while learning to play basketball I tried to do a lay-up from half court. The ref was laughing so hard he couldn’t blow his whistle. In the middle of a volleyball game I tripped over the cable holding the net up.  In high school my sister attempted to give me a perm and burned my hair. I had a stripe right down the middle of my head with no hair!! I had two left feet in a college performing group and also performed a few impromptu solos (that means I sang when I wasn’t supposed to….hmm, again the wanting to be heard). I have put my foot in my mouth on more occasions than I can count and still do. I have had more bad hair days than good ones. I forget people’s names, I run into things on occasion.  I lose my phone daily. One might say I’m a mess. I would say I’m human. I am kind, capable, professional, smart, funny. I also, metaphorically and physically, fall down and make a fool of myself on the daily.

I wonder if it’s harder to feel like we can BE HUMAN, make mistakes, or have embarrassing moments when we are comparing ourselves to others perfect appearances on social media. Here is an analogy of the iceberg effect. You know how you only see the tip of the iceberg? Each of us have a tip that we like to show to the world. It’s the put together, bright and shiny us. Below that tip, for EVERYONE, are the things we tend to hide: the mistakes, the insecurities, the fear. This is the part of our iceberg that no one else sees, or at least we might not want others to see. Often social media highlights the tip of people’s icebergs. The tendency we have is to compare the under-water portion of our iceberg to the bright shiny top portion of someone else’s iceberg.  Comparison itself is already unhelpful.  Additionally, it’s completely unfair to compare our struggles with everyone else’s projection of perfection.

So I invite others to laugh with me at my embarrassing moments. They are part of me. I love them. They make me human and allow me to fully connect with others (and I find them quite funny). I want to see others as well, not just the bright shiny parts, but all of you!! Here is to all that makes us human.