The Courage to Bumble

To do anything well you must have the humility to bumble around a bit, to follow your nose, to get lost, to goof. Have the courage to try an undertaking and possibly do it poorly. Unremarkable lives are marked by the fear of not looking capable when trying something new.

Have the courage to bumble.

Epictetus 
 The Art of Living.

I don’t know where the fear of failing when trying a new thing was born from. As a former teacher I witnessed a lot of children stressed out from “not wanting to do it wrong.” I would tell them that if we all could do everything perfectly the first time we tried it, there would be no need to even have schools. It was a constant battle to try to get them to view learning as an adventure. It was only when they became proficient at a skill, and looked back on their first attempts, did it make sense why they were there. Only then did they begin to discover the joy of learning something new and became ready to tackle something else. Gradually “mistakes” became a good thing and were the steps to improvement.

We have to have the courage to “bumble.” I love that expression. “Bumble about” and actually enjoy not getting it right the first, second, or even tenth time. It’s really not about becoming proficient or perfect at something new we are trying. Why? Because when that happens, guess what? It’s time to try something else new. It’s all about the journey, not the destination.

I put away my painting and writing for a number of years because of the fear I felt when faced with a blank canvas or page. Then this summer I came across that quote and decided to begin “bumbling about” with acrylics. I want to do my art/yoga studio over this winter, but I told myself I had to complete one painting first (even if it’s only following a You Tube tutorial.) There was no sense making over a room if I was just going to sit there and look at it, so I did it. I learned to paint a wave. I found a wonderful You Tube teacher and now there are hundreds of other things I want to learn to paint. I want to learn about color, texture and different mediums. I think I am finally willing to “bumble.”

Whether your journey is a creative one, or your beginning a new fitness program, you have to have the “courage to bumble.” Good coaches, teachers, or mentors will applaud your “bumbles” and point out what you learned from them. They will teach you how to turn them into wins.

And so, as another day goes by, consider what it is you want to do. Go out there and try and by all means, “have the courage to bumble.”