I sit near a guy in our office who makes a lot of noise. We're in open cubes, and when he's not here, it is very quiet. When he IS here, well, for instance today he kept saying
That's not something you want to hear all the time -- I mean it's OK if you're making toast and it gets a little burned, but if you're designing a retaining wall or a jet airplane, that's not a good thing! (He isn't doing either, so don't panic!)
We've been hearing a lot in our state recently about people who are driving the wrong way on the freeway. It's OK right up until the moment you run into someone and cause a major accident. This usually happens around 3 a.m. after bar close and generally involves an excessive level of blood alcohol content.
Then there's the Toilet Paper thing... there's a big debate. Rolling off the front or rolling off the back. For most of us, it's just a matter of preference.
However, if you live with a cat or even a toddler, there can be a wrong way to do it.
I mean I try to do things the best way possible. I get upset with myself when I make mistakes. I'll admit it, I'm a Type A personality most of the time.
However -- it's good to acknowledge that we're ONLY human. I've been hearing a lot about giving yourself permission to make a mistake or have a bad idea. I was watching a TV program, and a very creative person said that for every wonderful idea she has, she may have 40 or 50 stinkers. Wow!
Think about baseball. A player with a good batting average - the top 5 in any season - may be at .325 or so, according to Wikipedia. The best there is in baseball may only achieve .372 in a lifetime. That's just a little over 1 hit every three times at bat. And home runs? The best Babe Ruth ever did was an average of 1 in every five games.
And let's not even discuss the weatherman!
We have good days where we bat 1,000 - a hit every time. Sometimes we strike out three or four times in a row. So sometimes when things are not working out for you, maybe you're just doing the right thing in the wrong way...
Take a deep breath. Step back, look at things again. Toss anything that isn't right, but give yourself permission to use the stuff that doesn't work as a jumping off point to fuel your creativity and do things over. If it doesn't work, at least you tried something.
Maybe all you need is a new perspective!
Sew on...
