Ever since I can remember, I have had a hard time doing things that I already know I am not good at. I thought that this was something that was only affecting me but after talking to friends, it seems that many people I knew were avoiding certain activities for fear of looking silly while doing them. Whether it be dancing, trying a new painting class, or attempting a crafting project from Pinterest, people sometimes avoid situations where they might be doing something that they don’t believe they are good at.
I believe that the first step to starting to do things outside of our comfort zone is to accept that we are not perfect and none of us will ever be. To be honest, none of us should ever want to be perfect. It is much more interesting to be yourself, flaws and all. There is no way that one person can be amazing at everything (unless you are Justin Timberlake) so just accept that fact that there are things you are not going to be good at.
Remember when you were a kid and you looked forward to recess every day? Chances are you played games that you definitely were not the best at but you enjoyed them because you were with friends who made them fun. The only difference between now and then is the overanalyzing that you are doing. There is no difference between that subpar game of 4square or your less than Beyoncé dancing skills, so long as you are surrounded by friends who you enjoy spending time with.
Celebrate the things you are great at and have fun with the things you are not good at. Not everything in life needs to be a competition to see who is the best. With an economy that forces us to be highly competitive and inventions like Facebook where we feel constantly judged, it can be hard to just relax and have fun with an activity without putting pressure on yourself. I know that I personally am not always the best at crafts, however, I really enjoy the process even if the end result isn’t always perfect. I use to not even attempt to do them because I felt like I could never be as good as the girls who are Pinterest Crafting Royalty. Now I realize that it is ok to celebrate the things that I am good at and still enjoy the things that I am less than stellar at.
Life is short. Step out of the box, don’t take yourself too seriously, and remember that sometimes, it is ok to do something purely for the fun of it.