I shared a note from
Christine Kane with my friends recently on "Glorious Imperfection", a message I need to be reminded of as I often get stuck in not doing things because I either don't feel I can do them well enough, or "properly", or in the case of blogging, "profoundly inspiring"...or some such nonsense. One way or another I have , in my mind, made the task overwhelming. It's a pattern I've recognized before - putting things off for painfully long periods, only to find the job not nearly as long or difficult or complex as I had imagined it to be. Silly really.
The same could be said for this little gem I'm working on I guess.
I've heard comments from people who have watched me work on this leather journal cover as I drag it around with me like, "You did ALL that??!!" or "I could NEVER do that - it looks so complicated!" I chuckle and tell them, "No, really, you COULD do this! I'm just letting it go where it wants. I only started with a simple squiggly line and then I doodle for a few minutes at a time as I go and just let the drawing do its own thing." I'm not sure I've convinced anyone of the simplicity of the process as I travel with it. It's not until I can get someone to sit down and try it that they come to realize themselves, just how simply it comes together when we just remove the end target and any judgment about perfection along the way. It applies to everything in life I think.
Sharing from Christine's article:
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."
- Julia Cameron
How many activities do you sit and think about doing? How many things would you love to try but stop yourself because you don't know how to begin? Do you avoid adventures because of the pressure to do them well?
Yea?
Well, then, it might be time to explore one of my favorite success principles:
Glorious Imperfection!
Glorious Imperfection means that doing it badly is better than not doing it at all. As my friend and mentor Lisa Sasevich says, "Build the plane as you're flying it!"
And further......
Why Does it Work?
Because Glorious Imperfection is a way of setting intention. It lets your ego know that you would rather do the activity than wait until you can do it flawlessly.
When you begin a project and you lower the bar - or better yet, remove it altogether - then you're free to create without any grade. Ironically, this allows for such freedom and joy that you often end up doing a great job. (Or at least having a great time.)
When you demand perfection from the start, then your attention isn't on the activity itself. Your attention is drained in the perpetual "how'm I doing?" analysis.
And so with that, I think I'll try to just blog imperfectly.....and organize my studio space, imperfectly...and exercise imperfectly, and....well, off on my bike (instead of the car) to do some errands now.
