I have not failed.
I’ve just found 10 000 ways
that won’t work.
~ Thomas Edison
A quote. A musing.
And I thought, why not throw in a video?
Notice how I apparently got a thing for the thing. Plus there’s the deep insight that the thing is the thing!
Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Imperfection keeps us stuck in mediocrity.
Imperfection is just being lazy and nonchalant, throwing our lives away.
Imperfection doesn’t really care and is not committed to getting any better.
Imperfection keeps us small and utterly unsuccessful.
Well, that’s not my experience.
Imperfection makes me expand and get better. And better. And better.
Imperfection inspires me to go out and do things.
Imperfection encourages me to experiment and learn.
Imperfection knows mistakes are all part of the game and makes me do anything to learn and grow.
Imperfection makes me feel eager and playful.
Imperfection doesn’t care one bit about who I’m supposed to be.
Imperfection loves it when I give my dreams a go.
Imperfection is the biggest fan. Of me.
Imperfection constantly reminds me how brilliantly unique everybody is. Comparing just doesn’t make any sense.
Imperfection is full of compassion and encourages me to be ridiculously honest with myself.
Imperfection makes me do things wholeheartedly, giving it my all, regardless of what you might think about me.
Imperfection believes I’m really smart. And way funny. And so mesmerizingly interesting.
And when I believe that I do anything but staying in my comfort zone.
And when I believe that I do anything but throwing my life away.
In fact, I’m living it.
To the fullest.
This blog post has got a twin sister! Check out last Monday’s blog post “Perfection makes us thrive. (And other lies we tell ourselves.)”
Photo by me.
Perfection makes us thrive.
Perfection makes us step out of our comfort zone.
Perfection makes us get better. And better. And better.
Perfection makes us unstoppably successful.
Well, that’s not my experience.
Perfection makes me shrink.
Perfection makes me wanna curl up in ball and hide from the world.
Perfection hates making mistakes and makes me do everything to avoid failing.
Perfection holds endless conversations in my mind explaining with vigor why I shouldn’t do something.
Perfection makes me feel defeated and throw in the towel.
Perfection overwhelms me with mile high expectations of who I’m supposed to be.
Perfection loves to tell me how stupid and silly my dreams are.
Perfection makes me give up. On me.
Perfection makes me forget myself and live out someone else’s expectations instead.
Perfection constantly reminds me how I fall short when compared to others.
Perfection is the great pretender – pretending to be cool on the outside but full of harsh self talk on the inside.
Perfection makes me do things half-heartedly, constantly worrying about what you might say about me, instead of focusing all my energy on the thing I’m doing.
Perfection makes me believe I’m not smart enough. Not funny enough. Not interesting enough.
And when I believe that I do anything but stepping out of my comfort zone.
And when I believe that I do anything but thrive.
In fact, I’m not living my life.
I’m putting it on hold till I’m perfect.
This blog post has got a twin sister! Check out next Monday’s blog post “Imperfection keeps us stuck in mediocrity. (And other lies we tell ourselves.)”
Photo by me.
Sometimes we believe that achieving that thing will make us happy.
Delivering that project.
Buying that house.
Taking that trip.
Meeting that person.
Getting their approval.
Having 2000 Facebook friends.
Living that perfect life.
Sometimes we believe we need that thing to feel happy.
And so we are in a hurry to get it.
Because we want to leave our place of unhappy as soon as we can.
And that damn thing is holding the key.
So better get it.
Right now.
And so we start working on that thing.
With energy. And dedication.
Rushed.
But then we drop the ball.
We procrastinate. We daydream.
We keep making plans. But do nothing.
And get mad at ourselves for not doing more.
We feel shackles on. Stuck. Trapped.
And unhappy.
And we believe even more that we need that damn thing to feel happy.
But what if we believed that there is no hurry?
That we just have to take it one step at a time.
That we don’t need that thing to be happy.
That we hold the key to our happiness.
That we can be happy. Right here. Right now.
Working on that project and investing in ourselves doing just that.
Appreciating the awesome light falling through the huge living room windows, that funky kitchen table, the cosy couch we so often curl up in with a book.
Exploring our neighbourhood with the fresh eyes of a traveler.
Being the playful adventurous person we wanna meet.
Getting our own approval.
Cherishing the 10 Facebook friends we have right now.
Falling in love with our fabulous imperfect selves.
Imagine how different we would feel without the need for that thing to happen.
Imagine how much more energy we would have.
Imagine how much more possibilities we would see.
That might – oh the irony – actually make that thing happen.
But we don’t need it anymore to feel happy.
We already got what we were after.
Right here. Right now.
Photo from here.
Sometimes I think I need your approval. For me to live my life.
Sometimes I think I need your permission. For me to do my thing.
Sometimes I think I need your praise. For me to feel worthy.
But every time I am fooling myself.
And just making myself feel stuck, trapped and unworthy.
Sometimes I get your approval.
Sometimes I get your permission.
Sometimes I get your praise.
But every time I am fooling myself thinking that that is what I need.
Because after the initial surge of energy, I start doubting your approval, your permission, your praise.
And before I know it, I am back to stuck, trapped and unworthy.
I need my approval. For me to live my life.
I need my permission. For me to do my thing.
I need my praise. For me to feel empowered.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
That doesn’t mean I don’t listen to your advice and wisdom.
That doesn’t mean I don’t seek out your help.
That doesn’t mean I keep saying to myself how great I’m doing when I’m knee deep in shit.
It means that I’m making the final call.
It means that I’m taking responsibility for my choices.
It means I’m choosing to believe in me and what I can bring into the world.
And yes, I’ll fail along the way.
And yes, I’ll be hurt along the way.
And yes, I’ll be disappointed along the way.
But that doesn’t need to extinguish my fire.
Because I can choose to keep it lit. To fuel it. To let it shine.
There’s no one else that can do that for me.
Only I can.
I choose to.
What choice do you make?
Photo from here.
You can change the world
with a hot bath,
if you sink into it
from a place of knowing
that you are worth profound care,
even when
you’re dirty and rattled.
~ Anne Lamott
I work with smart, dynamic and driven people that are ticking all the boxes of success, yet feeling as if they are living their life with the brakes on. I work with caring and generous people that are trying to be everything to everyone and forgetting themselves in the process. I work with savvy, fun and creative high achievers that want to reconnect with what they really want in life, instead of living out everyone else’s expectations and worrying they’re not good enough.
Together, we dive in. Together, we dive deep. I offer a different perspective. I offer tools and concepts and a space to explore. You explore. You take action. You emerge. Bubbly. Sparkly. Infectiously inspiring. The way you’ve always been. You just didn’t realise it yet.Get in touch!
