I used to think that writers wrote their beautiful books in one easy-breezy flow.
But they don’t.
They write shitty first drafts.
They delete parts that don’t work.
They start over.
I used to think that painters painted their paintings in one effortless series of spot-on brush strokes.
But they don’t.
They make sketches to see what works best.
They erase.
They repaint parts that don’t work.
I used to think that photographers picked up their camera and took one perfect picture after the other.
But they don’t.
They overexpose and underexpose.
They reframe that same shot till it works.
They take many pictures that never get published.
And then there’s us.
Setting out on a new venture.
Writing a book. Taking on that project. Giving that presentation.
And we wanna be perfect at it.
Right away.
No shitty drafts. No reframings. No mistakes.
And that’s why we don’t get started.
That’s why we don’t create our best work.
That’s why we don’t shine.
They wrote their best work, not despite of their shitty drafts, but because of them.
They shot that one gorgeous picture, not despite of their reframings, but because they allowed themselves to get it wrong.
They shine, not despite of their mistakes, but because they gave themselves the space to make a lot of them.
So here’s to shitty drafts, mistakes and getting it wrong.
To writing and rewriting.
To painting and repainting.
To framing and reframing.
Because that’s truly living.
Because that’s living truly.
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4 Responses to Why they create their best work. (And we don’t.)
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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.
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The content on this site is intended to inspire readers to live their life instead of someone else's, to ditch the burden of perfection and who they think they're supposed to be. The content on this site is intended to inspire readers to embrace their unique brilliance and share their brilliance with the world, to serve the world from that loving, abundant, creative place of possibility, so that in turn that world becomes a more loving, more abundant, more genuinely generous and compassionate place. The intent of this content and site is not to tell readers how they should live their life. Nor should it be used as a substitute for treatment by or advice of a professional therapist, counselor, psychiatrist or any similar professional caregiver. Any decisions taken by readers are their decisions and their decisions and responsibility only.
ABSOLUTELY! Thank you for your concise, articulate expression of my wild and random thoughts. 🙂
Thanks, Barbara! 🙂
wohoo!! Another great blog post!!
Love it!!
Yay! 🙂 Thanks, Lenny! xo