Just How Long Are You Willing To be Bad At This?
Your answer will determine your success.
There’s something you’re good at. In fact, you’re so good I could take lessons from you. Perhaps it’s music, painting, cooking, sales, or … I know what it is … you can change diapers like a freakin’ pro. Oh yes you can. But did you show up on your first day this good? Heck no. In fact you sucked! That first diaper wouldn’t even stay on. Either out of necessity or enjoyment (new moms are weird like that), but you stuck with it. Over time, you got good. I pity the fool to take you on in a diaper competition.
The point is . . .
You have to be bad at something long enough to get good at it.
That’s the way life works.
I became aware of this principle watching my son Logan on his skateboard. In the beginning he was bad. Real bad. Wow, did he ever get frustrated. He would stomp and throw his board and seem to do his best impression of his dad. But he didn’t give up. He watched Youtube videos for hours. He saved up his money so he could buy a GoPro to video himself doing stunts. He worked on doing an ollie (a basic skateboard trick) for hours…and hours…and hours. After a lot of practice and study, he STILL couldn’t pull off a decent ollie. But, he kept at it. For months. For years. I watched him progress from Bad, to Okay, to Good. And I also watched his friends who did not. They never broke the barrier of bad. They were not willing to be bad at it and therefore, never arrived at good. Logan became good. Real good.
There is a natural progression that we must all go through in our quest to become good at anything.
Bad – Okay – Good – Great
When you first start running you’re going to suck (literally suck air). You may only make it to the mailbox and have to start walking. And then there’s your darn runner friend in spandex. She can run and actually breathe … heck she’s even talking while running. Your friend might be a marathon runner, but no one starts there. Everyone has to start at that first mile. So do you.
Whatever you’re starting this month, you’re likely going to suck at it. Real bad. It will seem hard and not even worth all the effort. If you base your experience on the first couple of weeks, you’ll beat yourself at your own game and quit.
It will get easier.
You will get better.
In the beginning, we all suck.
Conclusion:
In order to live a BIG Life, the life you were created for, the life you want, you have to be bad at it long enough to get good.
What is the one goal you are willing to be bad at long enough to get good? Let us know in the comments below…
I am a consultant for a home-party business and I suck at sharing the opportunity to book a party and/or become a consultant, particularly face-to-face, so I don’t. I guess I’m going to have to do it poorly, enough times, to get better at it!
Michelle, what is 1 thing you could do to improve this? Being specific and gaining competence at selling yourself is the best way to gain confidence. Then it’s just experience. Find a friend and practice.
Hi Lonnie! I think practice is the key .. and maybe taking some time to write up a mini script. It is very likely that the more I do it the easier it will get!
Bingo…good for you. It’s okay to start off bad, just don’t stay there!
Michelle, same here. I’m a new independent consultant as well and that’s definitely an area of struggle for me. I’ve had to remind myself how many times I’ve declined someone’s request to host a party. I’m having to adopt the attitude that they can’t say ‘yes’ if I don’t ask!
Michelle, don’t focus so much on having the perfect mini-script either. In the DS industry, it’s all about the connections you make with people. Form those connections, get real with people and the rest will fall into place. It’s so much easier talking about your business when you aren’t so focused on pushing the sale. Good luck to you!
Good advice Shelly. You’ve been doing this a while…
Thanks Shelly … I don’t have a problem presenting at the party, but when it comes time to find new bookings and offer the opportunity to join my team, I never know what to say! Maybe they smell my fear. 😉
I am will to be bad at parenting teens until i get good. Sometimes i feel like i go way overboard. Cause gosh darn it i just love them so much and want them to be safe and protected. Which in my brain means to smother, smother bad. I have got to learn to walk that fine line better 🙂
Wow, have you been spying on us? Sounds just like our house last night. Parenting Teens is tough. I hope I get better too.
I’m bad at time management between balancing work time and family time especially! I have so much to do but never seem to fins the time to do it. I need to work on this as this is an everyday struggle for me, I got myself a planner and I can’t even find time for that. I’m going to plan out my weeks better and allow extra time for the days that something unplanned and unprepared for arises.
TheMascaraFairy,
I feel your pain. I have just recently found a website called FLYlady.com. FLY stands for Finally Loving Yourself. It’s a great site for learning how to do things 15 minutes at a time and teaching us that we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to do SOMETHING! I’m really enjoying it.