Ever tried to learn a new skill, but felt like you were no good at it? Or perhaps it's a new year's resolution that you're afraid won't work out for you. Maybe it's a new hobby you want to pick up, but you'd probably embarrass yourself. But there's a way to take yourself from a beginner to at least decently good. You can't be an expert at everything, but you can move from a pathetically small skill level to something that you can be proud of. The technique?
Give yourself permission to be bad at it. You can't be good at everything the first time you try it, so why should you stress yourself out? Want to draw better? Give yourself permission to do stiff, unrealistic subjects. Want to write better? Give yourself permission to write something that will never see the light of day. Want to exercise better? Give yourself permission to do three measly sit ups. See, you can't get better without practice. You won't be good at a new skill the first time you try it. So give yourself time and space. Tell yourself that it's okay if your first attempts aren't up to par. What if... you did one drawing a day, no matter how sloppy it was? What if... you wrote at least 100 words a day, every day, whether it was good or not? What if... you added just one more sit up to your workout each week? Then what if... you looked back in a year? Your art skills would have improved drastically. Your writing would have become easier, more fluid, and better all around. You would have progressed from three sit ups to 55 sit ups. Give yourself permission to be bad at first. Give yourself permission to look back in a year and cringe at how bad you used to be. You'll never become better without those cringey first attempts. So start now—you'll thank yourself later.
2 Comments
12/31/2019 12:48:24 pm
It's easy to think about, but so much harder to acknowledge!
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About meHi, I'm Rachel. I write adventure stories, but I can't let my characters have all the adventures. Archives
April 2021
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