My favorite moment this year when I was performing was when I messed up. It was beautiful. This is the moment I learned to acknowledge my mistakes when I peform. It’s really something that audiences love, when they see that you are human and real.
For those who can’t tell, I wasn’t supposed to stop and restart. I messed up the lyric and couldn’t go on. That moment freed me. I realized that making mistakes, even in front of a dozen people, was not the end of the world. I realized I don’t have to be perfect all the time and things will still work out. I decided to take up piano. I always wanted to learn, but any time I had tried before, I couldn’t because I wanted to be perfect and couldn’t make mistakes. This has transferred to most aspects of my life (it’s a process, but I’m a lot more ok with going with the flow). Part of the reason why I talk, so much about grounding and knowing that everything is not going to fall apart if you make a mistake is because I’ve lived it and I’m living it. And I’m a better performer and person because I’m able to let go.
Tag: self-compassion
Book Recommendation: The Gifts of Imperfection
Originally written for the New Moon Women’s Circle website
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, Phd, LMSW
by Becca C. Kidwell
As I get ready to write this book review, I begin to look at my background as a high school teacher and having a master’s in English education and begin to worry about what will be the response to this review and will it be good enough, and then I remember what I just read in Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, and I am able to write this.
Brené Brown is a shame researcher, and in this book she explores how her work led her to embrace compassion (particularly for herself) and wholehearted living. Brené discusses the struggles she’s had with perfectionism and offers suggestions on how to let go of the expectations that we hold for ourselves and for others. She speaks about this compassion for ourselves, which leads us to be more compassionate, and loving to others. She differentiates between guilt and shame and how guilt is feeling bad about your actions while shame is feeling bad about who you are. Continue reading “Book Recommendation: The Gifts of Imperfection”