SAMBoddy
38/365 - 072108 - reflecting on me
I grew up hearing the phrase "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." Unfortunately, I managed to internalize "doing it right" as "doing it perfectly". I've discovered, over the years, that if I couldn't (or wouldn't) do something perfectly then I would decide it must not be 'worth doing'. I also found that if I didn't have the energy, or creativity or will do "do it perfectly" even if I was capable, then again, it must not be worth doing.
This has lead to a lot of dissatisfaction in my life, as it means I'm either all in or all out. While on the surface that might seem like a good thing, in reality it means that I give up on many things that could have been really rewarding had I just pushed through those 'less then perfect' times and kept at it.
My 365 Project has turned into one of those times. I was less then satisfied with what I was creating much of the time. Most days weren’t perfect - some because they couldn't be, and some because I just didn't have the time or will to make it that way. So I skipped a few days. But this time I'm not going to walk away and say "I didn't really want that anyway". I'm going to stick through it. I'm going to post crap once in a while, and hopefully good stuff along the way too. And maybe I can learn that it's ok to be 'mediocre' now and again (as long as it's not a habit). That it's ok to miss a workout without letting that became months without going to the gym. That I can have a 'less then perfect' day and still live a healthy lifestyle. That I can deliver an email to a client that hasn't been re-read and changed 8 times trying to reach that nirvana between competent and compassionate or create a proposal that's missing a small assumption. It's not the end of the world.
Or I can finally post this picture and be ok with some folks not 'really' getting it. I can stop typing now... yeah... I swear
38/365 - 072108 - reflecting on me
I grew up hearing the phrase "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." Unfortunately, I managed to internalize "doing it right" as "doing it perfectly". I've discovered, over the years, that if I couldn't (or wouldn't) do something perfectly then I would decide it must not be 'worth doing'. I also found that if I didn't have the energy, or creativity or will do "do it perfectly" even if I was capable, then again, it must not be worth doing.
This has lead to a lot of dissatisfaction in my life, as it means I'm either all in or all out. While on the surface that might seem like a good thing, in reality it means that I give up on many things that could have been really rewarding had I just pushed through those 'less then perfect' times and kept at it.
My 365 Project has turned into one of those times. I was less then satisfied with what I was creating much of the time. Most days weren’t perfect - some because they couldn't be, and some because I just didn't have the time or will to make it that way. So I skipped a few days. But this time I'm not going to walk away and say "I didn't really want that anyway". I'm going to stick through it. I'm going to post crap once in a while, and hopefully good stuff along the way too. And maybe I can learn that it's ok to be 'mediocre' now and again (as long as it's not a habit). That it's ok to miss a workout without letting that became months without going to the gym. That I can have a 'less then perfect' day and still live a healthy lifestyle. That I can deliver an email to a client that hasn't been re-read and changed 8 times trying to reach that nirvana between competent and compassionate or create a proposal that's missing a small assumption. It's not the end of the world.
Or I can finally post this picture and be ok with some folks not 'really' getting it. I can stop typing now... yeah... I swear