07/28/2021
We had a great little discussion about embracing failure in our first Achieving The Impossible group coaching class today.
When I was an art teacher, I said this phrase probably 20 times a day, but I knew the idea was really hitting home when the kids would say it to themselves and each other.. not just about their art, but about everything.
When kids would make a mistake on their projects, many would want to rip it up, start over, or quit. Mistakes were not an option. So I said a phrase I saw over and over in my art teaching groups to help kids manage their perfectionistic tendencies:
"Turn your oops into an awesome."
Perfect doesn't create awesome. In fact, it holds us back from being our authentic selves and creating an authentic life. Imperfections are the good stuff. When we do everything right, we never do anything not right. How boring is that? Who gets to decide what 'right' is anyway?
Our 'oops' is where the magic happens. The unexpected thing that we did or that happened that changes us, brings us perspective and helps us grow. Some people even call that a 'mistake', or even 'failure'. And we shrink at those words. But we don't have to. We can just turn it in to something better. It's a beautiful addition to your artwork you weren't planning on, but somehow could still turn out pretty great or be the idea you need to make something else entirely that wouldn't have existed without that misstep.
When we live under the guise of perfection and fear of making mistakes, we may fit into a mold or do the right thing according to others' standards, but we never really, truly let our awesome be seen.
Our brains won't grow, change, create, or become unless we make mistakes. We simply can't become a better version of ourselves without failure. It's physically impossible.
The oopsy awesome you full of failed attempts, scraped knees, things you wish you hadn't said, and burnt dinners?
The YOU you are is exactly the YOU we need on this planet. Right now. Yep..even with all that hot pile of failure.
Then tomorrow, when you did the thing you said you were going to do, when you avoided the uneven sidewalk, when you apologized to your friend, and when your crust is golden brown, you'll smile a little wider and because you were awesomer today than yesterday because of what you learned from your mistake, your oops, not in spite of it. 🎨
