Those of you who know me probably know that I'm a perfectionist, in every sense of the word. I'm also an over-achiever. I like to be good at everything. Not just good, but the best. In a perfect world, this would be possible, but it's not a perfect world, and it certainly isn't possible. I'm good at a lot of things, but I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily great at anything (except thrifting). I dabble. Painting, cooking, guitar, sewing, writing.
I've realized that the reason I'm not particularly amazing at any one thing is that I haven't invested the time necessary to become a master (it could also be related to lack of talent in certain areas, but for the sake of my argument, we'll go with the former). My perfectionist mentality often leaves me frustrated when I don't get something exactly how I want it on the first try. I have given up on a number of projects and hobbies because I'm not patient enough to keep trying. This is a tragedy, for I am forgoing opportunities to cultivate my talents and improve my skills. They say that practice makes perfect, but I wouldn't know. I've never been patient enough to test out the validity of that adage.
BUT, that's not the end of the story. I'm still learning.
I'm still learning that it's ok to not be a master of any one thing. It's even okay to be bad at certain things. This is a truth that I am still trying to accept. I often look at artists or connoisseurs and compare my work to theirs. The result: disappointment. But, it's an unfair comparison. I have to remind myself that they weren't born masters. The majority of them invested years into perfecting their skills. If they had given up early on in the game, they never would have realized their full potential. We wouldn't have Van Gogh's Starry Night or Edison's light bulb or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
So, I'm making it a point to cut myself a little bit more slack, to put in more practice, and to accept occasional failure. I might even attempt a cartwheel every once in a while.
"Comparison is the root of unhappiness." Dr. Black
ReplyDeleteSo true! Hope you're having a great time already!
ReplyDeleteExcellent realization!
ReplyDeleteThat's something I always need to remind myself of. I've learned from experience that even if you practice something a lot, and even have some actual talent for it, you can always "compare your work to theirs", and find the resulting disappointment. I practice a few things (music, chess, and occasionally photography, but mostly music), and while I can't claim to have really dabbled in painting, cooking, sewing, or writing (except for the occasional term paper), but as a music student I take my music fairly seriously. I can always frustrate myself by comparing the quality of my compositions to those of Yiruma, Ludovico Einaudi, or Emily Bear (especially Emily Bear), but I need to remember that if God wants me to do something, He will give me the ability to do it, and if He doesn't want me to do something...then that's probably why He doesn't give me the ability.
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