Emily Anne Page
Share
I thought I was being efficient… but I actually just wasted 2 hours of time. How? Why?
I had 2 returns—Amazon + Nordstrom.
I had read the emails (or so I thought), made my plan, headed out.
Oops.
Wrong drop-off location!
Twice.
For a second I thought: “How did I mess that up? I did everything right. Im so conscientious how could I make such stupid wastes. Ugh if anyone knew what a messy person I can be?! Two hours wasted. The shame!”
But the mess up is that I used my brain and it used a shortcut.
It’s called “System 1 Thinking 🧠” when something feels familiar, your brain says:
“I know how this works” …and fills in the gaps.
Efficient? Yes.
Accurate? Um… 😶 Not always.
My first thought was: “Wow, I’m so disorganized.”
Then I remembered… this is just what our brains do.
It skips to conclusions. And I felt better!
And it happens to all of us and all of our brains.
Understanding this = less guilt.
And a lot more grace.
We’re not careless.
We’re human.
Sending you a reminder (and myself too):
laugh a little more… judge a little less.
🤍
Emily
I love being in water and swimming. 🏊♀️
Today I swam a mile in the pool and it felt like a meditation and massage at the same time.
I never would have known I love this hobby if other people with more experience hadnt held the BELIEF that I should or could.
And gave me building blocks to become water strong….
🏊♀️ My mom put me in swim team at a young age and paid for swim lessons and access to a pool.
🥇 My grandpa created an award system for his grandkids - earn silver dollars 🪙 if you swim: 1 lap, 2 laps, 10 laps, and 1 mile.
🌊 My aunt Teri taught me to swim in the ocean under the waves and through rip tides. And my mom brought us to the beach each summer to swim for hours.
We cant always see ourselves or the future of what is possible.
Thats why we need other people - who care enough and have experience enough to help us invision a different future… a bigger goal… a best version of ourselves.
Thank you mom, grandpa and Teri for helping me love swimming.
I hope we have people in our lives who give us vision for more and that we spend more time with them.
🤍🏊♀️
Emily
01/26/2026
A sweet friend worked toward a goal for an entire year — and received a hard rejection. In her disappointment she told me she was spiraling into depression.
I feel that way too! In fact my mind is VERY dramatic. When I’m rejected or fail, my FIRST thoughts are: “My life is over! God hates me! I’ll never recover! Im such a looser!”
When rejection happens — after real effort — it hurts!
But it’s not weakness... It’s neuroscience.
Our brains experience rejection like physical pain creating cortisol, the stress hormone (it effects the same neural pathways that physical pain does).
That chemical response is what creates the heavy, dark, hopeless feeling in your body. It is a thought your brain creates to help protect you from pain.
But the KEY to getting out of the darkness is choosing the “meaning” we give the circumstance. Our soul (whatever that free will part of us is) gets to choose the interpretation of life and as a result change how we feel.
We can hijack our thoughts to take control of our feelings.
If we choose to interpret rejection as “a part of a process... normal... something all people go through....” your brain literally shifts chemistry.
It releases dopamine and norepinephrine — the hormones tied to motivation, learning, and forward momentum.
—> Same event.
—> Different meaning.
—> Different hormones.
What?! Doesn’t that shock you? Doesnt that make you feel a little more in control of your life and how you feel about it?
Resilience is a life superpower.
The cooler the thing you’re trying to do, the more rejection you should expect.
And if you look closely, you’ll also find acceptance everywhere — signals showing you where energy, alignment, and opportunity live.
I want you to feel motivated and capable to keep going when things get hard.
Keep going.
Interpret wisely.
Your brain is listening.
♡ Emily
01/15/2026
False 😵: “Empathetic people make less money and are perceived as weaker” - this was the message of a click-bate video reel I saw this weekend. They even misquoted a Harvard research paper!
The real research from Harvard is VERY CLEAR:
📈 Empathy and humility is a social que that builds trust, openness, and sharing. 📈
Leaders demonstrating these qualities statistically get:
- Faster career advancement
- Higher lifetime earnings
- Increased access to opportunity networks
Strong relationships—not IQ or pedigree—are the best predictors of long-term success and wealth stability.
So if you second guess yourself or ever feel insecure... please don’t beat yourself up about it.
You’re literally destined for success.
Instead... come work with me.
I like leaders like you.
You’re ALWAYS welcome on my team.
📍”Harvard Business School: Empathy Predicts Leadership Effectiveness (and Pay)” - Amy Edmondson
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
