this is just to say…

hello there.

I am dipping my toe in to say that, at times, there will be some extra words lying around and I may share them here. Thoughts will be in no particular order. Today’s thought: In order to get good, you have to get messy. This was a phrase that was repeated to me throughout a recent lesson on horseback. When learning something new, no one becomes proficient in the first few tries. And, sometimes, when focusing on a new piece of any art form (writing, dancing, dressage, horsemanship, golf, swimming, etc) the parts you had down can get messy again. Tweak your golf swing, and your drive gets wonky. Change the angle of your hand, and your breaststroke gets slower for a few lengths. Change the way you use your leg on the horse, and your hand position falls apart. You get messy. And it doesn’t look good. But keep going and something clicks. A new level will be reached and that added skill will come together with what has already been mastered. The golf swing will become more reliable, the breaststroke faster, and the horse will learn to trust your leg and your hands as you level up your skill set. But first it will look messy. Perhaps this is why so many people plateau. They fear looking bad, especially if they have reached a certain reliable proficiency. Maybe their happiness is in just looking good. But to actually become good, a true master in any sport or art, a person has to be brave enough to embrace the falling back a couple steps. No mess = No success I know I won’t always get it right, here in the words I string together or on horseback. I’m trying to embrace the failures and the tries. It’s going to look messy before it gets good. So let’s embrace the mess.