The case for doing things badly: You can love it without being good at it

Somewhere along the way, we picked up the idea that if we can’t do something well, we shouldn’t do it at all. 

With this story, we accomplished many things. 

But perhaps you’ve realized it means you stopped many things that you actually enjoyed just for the sake of them.
Singing. Dancing. Tennis. Speaking a new language.
Anything that didn’t feel like a natural gift.

Perfection is the enemy of permission.

Doing something badly — and still enjoying it — is one of the most freeing skills you can build. 

It’s the opposite of performance. It’s participation without the pressure.

Think about little kids. They don’t decide they’re “bad” at art and stop finger painting. They just dive right in (and paint your walls). They enjoy the act itself, not necessarily what it produces. They are silly. They play. They are free. 

When we allow ourselves to be gloriously mediocre at something, we remember what it’s like to do things just for the sake of doing them. 

And that is where joy lives.

You’re allowed to do things that don’t impress anyone — including yourself. You’re allowed to be the worst singer in the room and still belt out every word.

Because the real win is focusing on the joy more than the skill. 

So go dance like Elaine from Seinfeld or run like Phoebe from Friends!