Joy Jot #12 Accept Your Own Effort
“Are you serious? What? Are you kidding?”
I kept saying this after my daughter surprised me in the car, now on a detour, to meet Greg McKeown for my birthday. As some of you know, I am a big fan of Greg McKeown. From the surprise on the ride over, hearing his British accent tell Emily how to get to his house on the phone, and the check in at the gated community in Southern California—the whole thing was a riot!
This meeting came at a time where I was really starting to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life after my children grew up and moved away.
The conversation stuck with me. At one point we were talking about futures and doing hard things. Greg mentioned that one their family mottos was “accept rubbish”—which I took to mean accept your effort at things. Be brave and make a move. You have to start somewhere.
However, this concept has evolved for me to also mean
“What you have to offer matters” and
“What you have to offer is good enough right now”
“Take steps. Accept your own effort.”
“What you keep at offering will bloom into something wonderful.”
In the book Art & Fear, the authors tell a story about a ceramics professor who divided the class into two. One half of the class would be graded on the quantity of their work — 50 pounds of pots would be an A. The other half would be graded on the quality of their work. An amazing product would get an A.
What do you think happened?
The students who sculpted 50 pounds ended up with the best products. In their process of accepting A LOT of their work, they became better at the work. The authors then say…
“If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human; ergo art is error. Inevitably your work will be flawed.”
Being an artist, a writer, a mother, a friend are human endeavors and will be flawed.
Perfectionism paralyzes. Acceptance frees.
How can you apply “accept your own effort” to your life?
Is it having self compassion for yourself that your current work/life situation keeps you from serving others in what you think would be the optimal way?
Is it pushing away your inner critic “gremlins” that tell you you are not good enough, smart enough, or talented enough?
Is it telling yourself, “I’m doing my best I know how to do right now?”
Because you are. You are waking up every day. You are going to work at the office, home or school. You are trying very hard and your effort is enough —and your continued effort will blossom into beauty.
Accept and step forth!
With love,
Amy
Book
Art & Fear: Observations on The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles & Ted Orland
“In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.” (Emphasis added)
— Art and Fear
Podcast
The Greg McKeown Podcast
