Do What You’re Bad At
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
- Shel Silverstein
We live in a culture that discourages us from doing things we’re bad at. Worse yet, we often discourage ourselves from doing things we’re bad at. We don’t want to be embarrassed. We don’t want to fail. We don’t want to be less than the best. We understandably want to succeed. And we certainly don’t want to be repeatedly reminded of how bad we are at something.
Being bad at something may or may not be a good reason to consider not doing it professionally, but what about the notion of doing something for enjoyment? I’m not a great swimmer but I enjoy swimming. Should I stop? I certainly could be called a bad dancer; should I not be allowed to enjoy dancing?
If you are talking yourself out of doing something because you believe you are bad at it, I would suggest considering whether it’s worth doing it anyway if you enjoy it. Hell, I’d even suggest that, to get yourself going, you set out with the intention of doing it badly. Let yourself make bad art. Dance poorly. Sing off key, play an instrument, make a movie, get into a relationship, do a job you’ve always wanted to try – and allow yourself to do it however it comes out. Giving yourself permission to act imperfectly is giving yourself permission to take action.
Next, take it a step further by challenging the very notion that you are doing it badly. Sure you may be doing it imperfectly. That’s how we get better at anything. We allow ourselves to do it imperfectly, and we celebrate our successes to keep our momentum going. If we fail and we have a good time – if our goal was enjoyment, personal expression, self-care, adventure, or having fun – then we have not failed at all. If your goal is to get better at something, try your imperfect best to accept that takes practice.
Vincent Van Gogh said, “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” It is only by trying that we get better and discover what we are truly capable of. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Had he quit because he was bad at it, he never would have gotten to be the best. I often wonder how I might have flourished in certain activities had I not been told from an early age that I was bad at them. Should one’s perceived aptitude determine what one does and does not try?
Think how differently life would go if you let yourself do things you enjoy regardless of your skill level. Think how different the lives of those around us would be if we encouraged others to do what they enjoy simply because they enjoy it.
Being bad at something is no reason not to do it anyway, as long as you enjoy it. And if you change your mind later and want to try something else, that’s great too. What’s better than getting to define our own ever-changing lives, one day at a time?
Ask Yourself:
What activities might I enjoy, but never tried or stopped because I thought I was bad at them?
Am I willing to try doing something I enjoy for the joy of it?