Expect mistakes
My six-year-old daughter began piano this year. It was, sigh, a trying time for all of us. From what I understand, she believed (bless her) that she would be able to sit down and produces odes and symphonies and Ray Charles-style jazz sessions. Sadly (but not unexpectedly), this was not the case, and I heard frequent discords as she slammed her frustrated hands down onto the keys, exasperated that she was messing up the simplest of melodies.
After several lessons, lots of wincing, and dramatic threats to quit, she and I had a chat and came up with a mantra to repeat before and during each lesson:
“I’m going to make mistakes, and that’s okay.”
What about you? Will you make mistakes? Is that okay?
We might miss a day at the gym or yell at our kids. We may lose our patience and complain about our spouses. We might throw up our hands and eat half of a pineapple upside-down cake (that may or may not have just happened). Habits ingrained into our minds for years (or lifetimes) are hard to shake. Plan to make mistakes. The question isn’t “Will I make mistakes?” but should be instead, “How will I respond to the mistakes I make?” According to Watson and Tharp, “mistakes are a disaster ONLY if they cause you to stop trying to change.”
So, when you’re ready, friends, open those dusty blinds and let in the light. Feel the new electricity in the air, the sweet smell of motivation. Grab your iPod full of Taylor Swift songs and get uncomfortable. Go at your own pace. Make mistakes. Shake it off. Keep trying. Own it.
You possess the power within to make and sustain lasting change, so go get it.
