Here’s Why It’s Okay to Be Bad at the Stuff You Love
It's easy to get excited about the idea of picking up a new language, mastering an instrument or honing am artistic ability. It can be even easier to get discouraged when you find out you have to work for it.
Some people seem naturally good at everything, which hardly seems fair. Whether they've been at something for years or innately get how it's done, it can be a challenge not to covet their abilities.
But just because it's not immediately clicking for you doesn't mean it's time to give up. Here's why it's perfectly cool to be really bad at the stuff you're passionate about.
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You Get Good by Being Bad
Unless you're some kind of prodigy, getting really good at something will take time, patience and effort. Chances are that when you first jump into something, you're not going to be very good. That can be disheartening, but you have to remember that everyone starts somewhere. However much you struggle during the learning process, try to stay curious and remain passionate about what you're doing. As long as you care, you'll be able to stick with it
However much you struggle during the learning process, try to stay curious and remain passionate about what you're doing. As long as you care, you'll be able to stick with it. Over time, you might surprise yourself with the results.
Ability Has Nothing to Do With Worth
When you're a perfectionist who's good at most things, stumbling upon that one thing that doesn't make sense for you can make you feel bad about yourself. It really shouldn't. So what if you can't memorize guitar chords or can't properly conjugate those Spanish verbs?
Those things don't make you any worse at the other subjects in which you excel, and they don't define you. As long as you're trying, people won't think any less of you because of them—and the people who do try to make you feel bad probably aren't worth keeping around.
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Thinking Outside the Box
When it comes to artistic endeavors, indifference to technical skill can actually be an advantage. The abstract art movement of the late 19th century was a response to realistic, more technical art that preceded it. Punk rock was a rejection of more virtuosic classic rock.
By learning to work within the confines of your own abilities, you can tailor your creations to a style that better suits you, or even create an entirely new genre. You might even grow more confident within the space you create, allowing you to branch out and grow into the skills you wanted in the first place.
Embracing Shortcomings Will Make You Happier
Some people never try things because they're afraid they'll fail. Those people wind up not doing so many things.
Being okay with being only adequate—or even bad—at something opens up opportunities that would be otherwise closed off to you for a silly reason. At first, a small failure can feel like a crushing defeat, but they get easier and easier every time. Life gets a lot simpler (and happier) once you've gotten to the point where a loss or rejection doesn't hurt.
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Challenge Is Rewarding
Finally getting something right after working on it again and again and again is so much more satisfying than nailing something on the first try. When something takes real skill and patience, you've got to work toward it, and seeing the fruits of your perseverance is so worth it. You wind up proud of the projects that took hard work, not ones that were instantly gratifying.
It Keeps You Humble
Who wants to be good at everything? Probably you—but other people who appear to be good at everything probably aren't what they seem. It can be easy to resent other people for their perfection, but chances are they worked harder than you'd imagine getting their skills to where they are now.
Other people's abilities should serve as a reminder that there's always more to learn, and that any moments of stagnant boredom could actually be put to good use. Being bad at something is the first step toward being good. Sometimes a little envy can push you toward greatness.
Still struggling with adequacy? Click HERE to discover nine easy ways to be nicer to yourself every day.