Not very satisfying.

And then I came across this quote:

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” ~ Scott Adams

This hit me hard. In a culture that doesn’t easily accept mistakes, where does that leave creative life? Having been brought up to be a perfectionist – when anything less than was considered not good enough – where did that leave my creative life? And as a yoga teacher, what did that mean for my classes and for my practice?

The short answer? It meant a complete overhaul of the way I approach my mat and my life.

When habits are ingrained almost from birth, they can be horrendously tough to break. My habit – my almost subconscious habit, by now – was to believe that I had to be perfect to be any good. Whatever I created had to be just so. If there was a line out of place, a glare on the photo, a hollow in the middle of the cake, a song that didn’t really fit in the playlist, or an asana that didn’t quite work in the sequence, it could put me out of joint for the rest of the day worrying and grumping about it.

But the result wasn’t the perfection that I craved. The result was that I became almost too scared to create anything.

To create, you have to let go. To create means to surrender to whatever comes up, and then try and express that as best you can in whatever way you can. It can be as terrifying as it is liberating.

And most artists don’t actually have to share their work. If they don’t like it – if it’s one of those mistakes that they decide not to keep – the world never has to see it. But as a yoga teacher, you’re creating in the spotlight. Even the most carefully planned class has to have an element of spontaneity and surrender to circumstances. Going with the flow and being willing to make mistakes in front of a room full of students who are looking to you for guidance is a whole different ball game to painting in your living room, but I realised it had been striking the fear of God into me both on and off the mat. No one can create when they’re wound up and anxious.

Giving yourself permission to make mistakes isn’t an easy thing to do. Giving yourself permission to admit that you actually like those mistakes and want to keep them is even harder. It involves a huge amount of trust in yourself – not trusting that you won’t make a mistake, but trusting that when you do you’ll be able to adapt, be flexible, and flow with it. We are yogis, after all, and those tings are what yoga is supposed to teach us. Because without trust, without risk, without a bit of playfulness and imagination, and yes, without a few mistakes, even the most technically perfect asana sequence / painting / poem / cake (delete as appropriate) will be dry and a bit boring.

Mistakes are how we grow, and growth is, naturally, creation. And since Nature never worries if there’s a tree out of place, then why should we?

 

February 5, 2018/ by Ali Shevlin http://www.purepranaayurveda.com/

 

WHY YOU SHOULD LET YOURSELF BE A BEGINNER

Om Tati

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE A BEGINNER. NO ONE STARTS OFF BEING EXCELLENT. – WENDY FLYNN

So many of us are held back by the fear of not being perfect. When you’re a kid, you’re always learning and trying new things, and you’re not as encumbered by fears and failures.

As you grow older, your doubts and fears start to take over. Maybe you think you’re way too old to take up that new hobby (but if not now, when?), or you feel that you can’t share any of your work until you can claim you’re a better artist than Picasso. But it doesn’t really work that way, does it?

The only way you can learn is through experience, and trial and error. You can’t learn through doubting yourself, over-thinking, and letting stale thoughts grow mold in your head. Learning something new, and becoming an expert in it if you wish, takes practice and perseverance. And if you are truly passionate about it, it is actually a continuous, lifelong process.

If you do not begin, if you do not take that first step, then you will never grow or achieve your goals. It’s as simple as that. Thinking about it is one thing – doing it is another. And we all have to start somewhere.

STRIVE FOR PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.

We are often so caught up with being “perfect” that we don’t appreciate the process or the journey. We expect so much of ourselves right from the beginning that we fear making mistakes. And when we fail to meet those expectations, we throw in the towel too soon.

Fearing mistakes comes hand in hand with compromising on making progress. As scary as it is, you have to go after what you want wholeheartedly. Don’t feed on negative thoughts, or on other people’s fears and doubts, but believe in yourself as you take those first steps.

It doesn’t matter if no one is watching. It doesn’t matter if everyone is watching. It only matters that you begin, and that you believe.

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP. – LAO TZU

In Outliers, Malcom Gladwell reveals his 10,000 Hour Rule, which basically revealed that The Beatles didn’t become The Beatles overnight (surprised?).

We live in a culture of instant gratification, and we grew up being sold images of highly edited, so-called perfection. And if you don’t have everything, then you have nothing. We learn to process the world in that way, and ultimately end up comparing our beginning to someone else’s middle.

DON’T COMPARE YOUR BEGINNING TO SOMEONE ELSE’S MIDDLE. – JON ACUFF

For instance, one of my goals is to master a handstand in my yoga practice. I follow brilliant yogis on Instagram, like Ashley Galvin and Kino MacGregor (follow them if you need yoga inspiration!), and while I know that it took years of practice and perseverance for them to be so strong – they talk about that a lot – I still find myself feeling a little discouraged sometimes.

But it’s so important to remind yourself of your own progress and celebrate the “little wins.” I recently jumped up into a handstand with the support of a couple other yogis and held it for a few seconds. It felt amazing, but I was still tempted to discount my progress because I wasn’t hanging around on my own for an hour. Don’t do that! Remember, you are making progress, and that is amazing. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Things don’t change overnight.

Developing a new skill takes time, practice, and patience. Remember that everyone’s story is different, and that to truly achieve anything you want, that’s what it takes. Patience is something I think so many people struggle with (myself included!), but remember that it is a huge part of growing something beautiful.

THE MASTER HAS FAILED MORE TIMES THAN THE BEGINNER HAS EVEN TRIED. – STEPHEN MCCRANIE

Here are some great resources to inspire you on your journey:

Books

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Articles

The Importance of Being a Beginner (and Leveraging Superpowers)

How to be a beginner… again. by Melissa Cassera