When I was at primary school our teacher used to put happy face pictures on the good work and sad face pictures on the work that she didn’t think was of the required standard.
When the books were handed out I remember going to the page where the last piece of work was and looking to see what face would greet me that day.
The rest of the class did the same. The ones who had happy faces left their books open, displaying their work proudly for all to see. The ones who had sad faces on their books that day covered the offending page with their hands, as I did too.
They turned the page to start the next piece of work on the next page despite the fact that this was against the rule of using as little paper as was possible in our books. The rule was to underline and then begin directly below the last piece of work.
If you followed that rule on a sad face day there you were, starting your bright new day piece of work on the downer of what you didn’t accomplish the day before. Nice.
By the time you had done all the necessary title writing, underlining, remembered the date and started your paragraph in just the right place, you then had about twenty minutes until break time to come up with something that would hopefully get you a happy face the next day.
If you couldn’t all you would have to console yourself was a packet of pickled onion Monster Munch.
In learning and creating there needs to be a willingness to fail.
When you write your blog posts the comments that are posted might function as the happy and sad teacher faces if you let them.
What is willingness to fail?
Willingness is standing on the starting line ready to go.
It’s asking for a dance, it’s plunging into the pool.
It’s picking up the paintbrush.
It’s rocking the child late at night when her temperature is sky high and you know you’ll see the dawn without sleep.
It’s making the call and taking the course.
It’s asking the question that you think everyone else knows the answer to.
It’s knowing you’ll blush and doing it anyway.
Willingness is singing the song when you don’t know the words, it’s writing the paragraph after the rejection letter.
It’s the for better or worse of your vow to yourself.