Doing My Best

Lyrics

I messed up today And I'm still here (yeah)

I tried to be "good" at being present Like it was another thing to win Like I could graduate into calm If I just did it perfectly enough to begin But then I caught myself spiraling Over one dumb scroll, one late-night check And I realized the old voice in my head Was still using shame as a steering wheel And I'm done with that

I'm not going to punish myself For being human in a loud place I can come back a hundred times And it still counts as grace I don't need a clean streak I don't need to prove I've changed I just need to notice and return and say - I'm doing my best

Some days I'll be steady Some days I'll be a mess Some days the quiet feels easy Some days it feels like a test I'm learning to talk to myself Like I'm someone I actually care about Not a project, not a problem Just a person figuring it out Step by step, without the performance Without the scoreboard Without the fear of being caught

I'm not going to punish myself For being human in a loud place I can come back a hundred times And it still counts as grace I don't need a clean streak I don't need to prove I've changed I just need to notice and return and say - I'm doing my best

Emerson wrote about self-reliance But I don't think he meant "be harsh" I think he meant "trust the part of you That knows what's true when it's quiet" And Thoreau wasn't perfect either He was just paying attention On purpose Again

I'm not going to punish myself For being human in a loud place I can come back a hundred times And it still counts as grace I don't need a clean streak I don't need to prove I've changed I just need to notice and return and say - I'm doing my best

I messed up today (mm) And I came back