Today’s Mandala Message: Okay to be Awkward
This week I’m working through Principle #16 from Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles” entitled “Be Willing to Pay the Price”. I set my intention today to ponder the idea of being awkward…especially when you’re first starting out with learning something new. Canfield states: “Remember when you first learned to drive a care, to ride a bicycle, to play an instrument, or to play a sport? You understood in advance that you were going to be very awkward at first…this initial awkwardness applies to anything you undertake, so you have to be willing to go through that awkward stage in order to become proficient.”
This idea has been a challenging one for me for most of my life. At an early age I learned to fear being judged, laughed at, made to feel like I was stupid…because that was a bad thing. God forbid I did it wrong or made a mistake. It’s amazing how forgiving we are (even cheerful) when watching a toddler learn how to walk. Somehow we’ve lost that “lovin’” feeling towards our adult selves.
I think it comes down to just one fear (at least for me): fear of being judged. I’m learning that people will judge me regardless of how awkward or proficient I am, so I might as well be true to myself and allow myself to be awkward, to embrace my awkwardness especially when going out of my comfort zone.
So how about you? Are you willing to put yourself out there _ONLY_ if you do what you do perfectly? Can you be okay with going through an awkward stage? Can you be okay with yourself regardless of your level of awkwardness or proficiency?
“Stay Awkward,
— Brené Brown
Brave, & Kind.”
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
All Things Mandalas
An Invitation
I invite you to color along with me this year as part of what I’m calling “The Year of Self-Exploration and Expansion” with all of my “Mandalas of the ___” (day, week, month, year). If you’re interested in more of a self-exploration approach to coloring, check out my “Coloring Mandalas as Meditation”. You can download this mandala at MandalaoftheWeek.com.
Mandala of the Day 