Why You Should Give Yourself Permission To Suck

Here is my moment of open, authentic, and guilty admission of 2016:

 

I didn’t reach all the goals I set out for this year.

And that’s embarrassing for me, because one of the things I teach people is how to set goals, and how to systematically take action to achieve them.

It’s frustrating for me, but the longer I hold on to my frustration, the longer I don’t get to focus on what it is that I want to achieve.

Build freedom from being caught up in your head.

It’s true what they say:  The more you know, the more you find out that you don’t know.

For me, the more I know, the more I realize that there’s so much more to know.

And the same goes for the areas that I call myself an expert.

 

Nobody starts out an expert.

And even experts make mistakes.

They just keep on going, trying new things, and finding what works, that’s what makes them experts.

They make mistakes, forgive themselves, and move on.

In the process, they keep finding out what works, what doesn’t work, and keep on learning.

Being an expert means committing to continuous improvement.

And nobody ever gets any improvement, without experiencing setbacks and failures.

Without experiencing “not knowing” and being overwhelmed with the mountain of knowledge beyond your grasp.

Without experiencing being a beginner.  Being the one that sucks.

But that’s only permanent if you let it be.

 

“You suck” is a speed bump, not a label

At one point in your life, you must have felt the same way.

But there are those who haven’t moved beyond that place.

And there are those who so desperately cling to what they can to not suck, but still end up sucking.

That’s because, sucking, failure, mistakes, is a part of life.  They’re part of our journey of getting better.

I realize that my journey to getting better, wasn’t necessarily about getting better.

It was about my want to suck less.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Me gaining my expertise, was about finding out what worked, and doing that.

It was also, equally, about finding out what didn’t work, then learning how to stop doing that.

I learned how to suck less, by embracing the fact that I did suck.

And finding a way out of that hole.

 

Nobody’s perfect.

And if in your mind, you think you are, you better get checked.

If in you head, your world, you feel you should be, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

No one’s perfect.  Everyone’s a work in progress.

Even those who have more progress to show for than you.

But we all started somewhere.

We have no control over the cards we’re dealt, but have complete control over how we play our hand.

And if you’ve never played cards, let me tell you, it’s ALL about how you play your hand.

 

Embrace the suck

Progress in life is full of failure, setbacks, and how we overcome them.

Focus on overcoming, and not on the setbacks, and problems.

Get comfortable, with the uncomfortable.

Embrace the suck.  Embrace you.

Embrace and accept where you are right now.

And the sooner that happens, the sooner you can focus on just getting better 1% every day.

 

What’s something you suck at, but want to get better?  Please share in the comments below!