“That last one I did wasn’t very good” is an easy thing to think. We can dwell on it, especially when critics rub our faces in it.
The antidote is to start working on the next one.
It’s not to go back and try to redo.
It’s not to listen to the critics.
The only way to really get away from the past dragging us down is forward motion.
If your last poem or blog or piece of furniture or customer service call or seminar or class wasn’t the best, do another one.
Horse riders have known for a long time that if you’ve fallen off, the best thing you can do is to get back on right away. It’s conventional wisdom, right?
What if doing it again isn’t possible (you’ve fallen off a horse and broken three bones, or you messed up again and got fired)? Are you doomed to sit and wish you could have another shot for the rest of your life? No! Now’s the time to try something different and new!
By the way, if you try something different and new, you can expect your first one to not be good… but then you can cycle back to the top of this blog and repeat the process.
PS- I love to share the photo(shopped image) above because my son is learning to use Photoshop, and I’m encouraging him to keep trying and playing with it! He’s particular and detail oriented. I’m sure someday he’s going to be a heck of an editor.
Adam G. Fleming 