First & Jenn Morning Coffee: You’re Still in it, Even When You’re Not There Yet

In case you didn’t know, I started a new daily morning discussion on First & Jenn. Check out my first one here for more information.

Sometimes it feels like life keeps fumbling you. You put in the work, show up, and give your best, only for something to slip right through your fingers. You start wondering if maybe it’s you. If you missed your shot, or if all this effort isn’t really adding up to anything.

But being fumbled doesn’t mean you’ve lost. It means you’re still part of the game. And maybe, just maybe, you’re being picked up by something better.

You’re still in the game as long as you want to win. A team that wants to win will always find its rhythm again. They’ll make adjustments, learn from their mistakes, and come back stronger in the next quarter. That’s what resilience looks like. You’re not meant to sit on the sidelines when things get tough. You’re meant to regroup, breathe, and call your next play.

Lately, I’ve been sitting in that same space. Trying to find my rhythm, redefine who I am, and remember what I bring to the field. I’ve realized that I’m done letting labels define me. I’m not an “employed journalist.” I’m a journalist because I practice it. Because I live and breathe storytelling. The title doesn’t make the player; the passion does.

And that applies to anything. You don’t need someone to validate your dream for it to be real. You don’t need a title to prove you belong. The work you’re doing, the effort you’re giving, the way you keep showing up—that’s proof enough that you’re still becoming.

It’s much more impressive to get ahead of the curve than to start over from the basics. You’re learning the game in real time, not waiting for perfect conditions or someone to hand you the playbook. You’re writing your own.

There’s still so much time left on the clock. Four quarters of football. A full season of growth. A lifetime of second chances. Don’t quit at halftime just because the score doesn’t look like you hoped. Some of the greatest comebacks happen when everyone else counted you out.

And maybe, like an arrow being pulled back before it flies forward, this moment isn’t holding you back at all. It’s lining you up for distance.

You’re still in it. You always have been.