So, I have a confession to make, I've never written a blog before.
I'm a perfectionist, which is sometimes a really great trait to have, but sometimes it can be quite debilitating and can really hold me back.
Starting this blog was meant to give me a space to get some thoughts down that might resonate with other people, particularly being a recent music graduate who is trying to establish themselves with a different full-time job to pay the bills.
I found myself worrying about the website and the blog never being 'the finished product' and hating the idea that people might see it when it's a work in progress, but then I had a realisation:
I am a work in progress.
Two weeks ago, I asked one of my Year 8 pupils why he thinks we practise and he, like I expected, answered with 'because practise makes perfect.' I told him to instead think that practise makes confidence. Making mistakes is so fundamentally human, and if we wanted something - like music - to be perfect, then we would be using computers to do it. He then came back the next week telling me that he had been thinking about that a lot and that it applied to a lot of areas of his life, like when he plays video games. He had been telling me about a new game he got and that he managed to beat a boss on the first go, because he had the confidence and knew he could do it. He said he could have done it better but that didn't mean he had done a bad job.
I told him that was great and secretly hid in the excitement that I had shared knowledge that resonated with him and he felt inspired enough to think about it outside of lessons. His inspiration in turn inspired me.
Why have I never thought to apply this mantra to the rest of my life? When was the last time I did something perfectly? I don't think I ever have. However, I am a pretty confident person, so why not use that to my advantage instead of my perfectionism?
I had a lot of reservations about actually jumping in and getting started, three in particular:
Will I have time to write blog posts?
Will people want to read it?
Will people find it useful?
It's time to tackle those reservations head-on and stop using them as excuses not to get stuck in and just do it.
I will have time if I make it a priority. Make your passion your priority.
Honestly, who cares? I have always found it helpful to just write my thoughts down and get them out.
If I have these dilemmas and these questions, I'm probably not the first and probably won't be the last. If writing this blog helps even one person, then it's worth it. Heads up, the one person can be me.
This blog will never be perfect, because I am not perfect. I can gain confidence that it will be good, but only through practise.