Thursday, September 15, 2022
“The Age of Perfectionism” has propagated a comparative culture, a sneaky byproduct of social media. It can cause a paralyzing effect, making it seem like success is an elusive, immediate phenomenon, happening only to a select few. But experts aren’t born, they are crafted. There’s an art to being bad at something – it’s a rite of passage, a necessity that isn’t touted on social media. It’s a badge of honor that we miss, if not careful.
Start off as a proud amateur (root word, amor – to love). No matter what you do to express yourself (writing, music, starting a new business), initially you’re going to be bad at it, trust me. The key is not to fear that, nor to be intimidated by what you see on social media. Your skills and ideas will improve and flourish, but not if you’re always standing in the shadow of others, ashamed of your “less-than-perfect” product.
Each success, every idea started out as a fragile embryo, never fully formed, perfectly ready to present to the world. Never fear starting, that’s important to remember. It doesn’t have to be perfect before you make an attempt. It will never be perfect, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking along those lines. Social media isn’t painting a true picture of how life really works. Just be bad at it for a while, and get comfortable progressing, that’s the key. You’ll have to be in the amateur club for a long time. Don’t fall for the lies, as they appear online. If you wait until it’s perfect, or you wait until you have it all summed up, the world may never get a chance to see what you’re capable of. Jump in as soon as you can, don’t second guess, and don’t succumb to the paralyzing lull of “perfectionism.”