★★Getting Less Sucky At Something — Some Thoughts

Hi guys, 

Some thoughts on things related to the beginning stages of an endeavor!  Feel free to agree or disagree, but this kinda is a continuation of “Loving The Early Steps of the Process” (or whatever I called that post a couple weeks ago.  

My observations are this:

1. The affirmations that you will use for yourself after three years of continual practice at something, are going to be very different from the ones you will use to make it through your first three weeks at something. 
2. You’ll have to go through the stage of “sucking badly” to get to the stage of “sucking LESS badly”, to eventually get to the stage of “not sucking” — and so forth.
3. I believe that affirmations need to incorporate your savvyness, around there being a lag time and a latency period.  What I mean by this, is that when you learn something from scratch, you work hard at it, and still suck at it, for a fairly long period. Toddlers “babble” for a long time, and don’t know the right words for things, for YEARS — but eventually they speak, read and write the exact same language with the perfection of a native speaker — a very long latency period!

So, affirmations for the beginning stages of something, are stuff like:

• You have POTENTIAL at this, and developing your potential takes time.  
• Any winner, devotes time to develop their craft, and you are right in alignment with this principle.
• You envision yourself completing your first month of training, knowing that you are not going to want to settle for only one month of results.
• You train yourself intelligently, and you are seeing improvements racking up.
• You believe in the 10,000 hour rule and your expectations are always appropriate to the stage of the game, that you are in.

i would say, from personal observation, that people generally fail to become very good at something, because they want to be a top performer right away. But everyone has to start somewhere!

Thoughts About Starting Small:

• Bill Gates probably started his company in a crappy space (or maybe working from his kitchen), and eventually worked his way up to having one employee.  
• Most beginner runners have to walk two minutes, jog one minute, for as long as it takes, until that ratio is literally too easy, and they have to bump up the ration of jogging.
• In learning a language, you won’t sound like a native speaker, until MANY years of exposure and hours. There is a natural progression of someone learning their first language, and if you are learning your second language, you will probably not go faster than that.

So those are the ideas!  I will confess that I don’t believe that the Law of Attraction (or anything else) can help a person be great without doing the work.  ALL the work. 

All the professional ballerinas of the elite Russian companies, have trained intensively since youth, before they are even accepted to dance in the corps de ballet. So, if someone is interested in reaching their potential as a ballet dancer, it is good to know the time frame of the people whose skill you admire the most. 

It is actually noticeable to me — especially in the area of money — when people want to be an (almost) instant millionaire, without the normal build-up and accumulation of wealth. I tend to think people will only succeed when they understand that building wealth takes time and effort, just like anything else — the 10,000 rule again — give or take!

Oh well, those are my thoughts for today! :)

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 24/03/2019.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

 I   want to acknowledge you and thread!

Excellent thoughts & inspiration!

As for action... firm believer in inspired action... 

I love the results that have come from allowing-energy...

I believe as our spirit tugs at us... for something we'd like to be 'more' at  ... allow more... we need to listen. 

Here is a an example without the specifics:

...had a wonderful experience recently... related to work.  There was an opportunity for me to utilize my own creativity for something meaningful.  Initially I felt uncomfortable to 'do things my way' ... because what I wanted to do was so different than the kind of things 'allowed' at my company .

I kept 'working' with my discomfort... my creativity... and believing 'something magnificent was  on its way' In the midst of this energy... a very simple idea blossomed. 

It was -'so me' , 'so more than me'  and it was so easy ... I simply had to incorporate it with 'all else'

My old affirmations ... began to have  new meaning.

Other people's affirmations  became new inspiration.

The idea worked so well, it was part of a reason I was acknowledged very well there...recently

What no one 'really' knew... is how affirmations, intentions, and listening to my spirit-place gave me such an edge. I hardly remember the 'feeling sucky'-part about doing something new. I believe part of what I did... was 'going back to a time' when I created anything... that worked well... that initially was 'new' and it prospered from...yes... from energy & work... and an opportunity that I wanted to 'make work'

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 24/03/2019. Last edited on 25/03/2019.

• ~~~In response to SelfcareLivingLifeOfEase's post: In response to BrightAngel's post: ~~
• ~ I hope I didn't veer away from the direction of your thread! It helped me to share how things begin for me ... to take it further ... with creativity and action.
• I do believe in the not fearing being a beginner & doing the work.
• I am acknowledging... my focus has been ease... and it is helping me begin things, create things & engage in  working more  at things ... that are 'hard' 
• I see your beautiful valid points. They are inspirational for areas that will take practice & discipline
• 

I will be back with something more related... and more  in the moment  to ... 'feeling sucky' at ...some thing  I want to excel in ...

note to myself:

involved with... a bigger picture foundation ... of everyday things that need even more productivity!

I don't feel dissatisfied at the foundation I've been creating... I'm just so ready for more... and desire ways to increase my action & do it!

Notes to myself:

bit more than decade ago, I considered myself lil' body builder. How it all started had much to do with something frightening that occurred with my health{temporary set back though significant}.  After being more 'taken back' by the healthcare itself... I met someone who just happened to be in the gym where I live. I had no idea he had been a trainer 'back in the day' and to make a long bitter sweet story short... this gentleman taught me the meaning of discipline! 

It is this experience I'm leaning on... to believe... if I could do that... I will be able to transfer that dedication to my new area that I suck in, because I haven't created a foundation for beginning, excelling and how I want to envision this stage of life... with more clarity.

YES, YES, YES! SelfCare, I’m so glad you get the bit about building the foundation and doing the work. 

This topic is just so near and dear to me, because i feel it encapsulates WHY people like me have failed at certain things in the past — we never made it over the hump in that particular discipline, and we never got that long term momentum going with a particular goal. 

Anyways, one of my passions (as far as affirmations are concerned) is about using our words and our minds, in alignment with reality, in alignment with practicality, and in alignment with the principles of free will. 

In the example of training the body:  

if the safest way to become a runner, is to do a gradual buildup in the ratio of running to walking, then it is probably good to praise yourself for how smart you are, for being good to your knees, and how smart you are, for thinking long term. You are really very smart for giving yourself the kind of training load that a parent would give to their 6th grade kid looking to run cross country in seventh grade.

more affirmations like:

you really understand the importance of starting with low intensity runs, until those runs organically get faster. You know that being greedy and trying to get fast yesterday, is a guarantee of injury, burnout, or disappointment, and you are smarter than that. 

You are willing to put in the time, and do the work, because you know that the payoff of good training only bestows itself on those who had foresight and patience. You like the way your first three-month training block only needs to pave the way for a second three-month training block, where your endurance is coming along nicely. 

—

One affirmation i use a lot, is that you do the right training, and even the angels could do no better. 

Even the very best coach could only advise you to build your own base safely and efficiently, and not to skimp on the part where you build your muscles and tune your cardiac engine for the work that is to come.

— 

i believe we have to sift through the “get rich quick schemes” (the instant success narratives) that are pretty much there to trick us into abandoning the inteligent path. I feel as though, if we waste our time on affirmations like “the pounds are melting away so quickly now” and “employers are lining up to offer me a six figure paycheck”, then we will walk away from the granular behaviors that can help us earn our own successs, brick by brick.

— ok, that’s enough thoughts for right now! :)

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 26/03/2019.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

I hear everything you are saying!

and

I Thank you for hearing me!

I've enjoyed so many of your affirmations-which assist like a wonderful soul-felt script.

A member on the site once created an audio (with affirmations I chose) which ... w/his awesome voice very motivating ... for this kind of thing for me.

You are motivating me to listen to it today.

...I have had a really bad cold... I won't detail it... except to say, one of the worst I've had in years. The good news is... I've had to go back to the basics of everything I feel is important.

While the cold has been 'sucky', I allowed myself to continue valuing self care... and the compassion it takes to take care of myself under all circumstances. And now that I'm beginning to 'feel the light of day' ... I'm acknowledging 'even more' the value of self love and believing that where ever I am in the moment is where I am meant to be-to be wherever I am meant to go.

In regard ... (sneeze,cough) excuse me(:  I appreciate myself and how I do the things I do.

I love how I'm always writing master lists. When I 'couldn't think so well... so many things I had already written were at my disposal when I was ready to look at it. That really helps!!!

This may seem like I've veered off topic again, though for me... in the scheme of things... everything I'm desiring to do for me... is created from a place of acceptance ... of wherever I am.

When I accept ... I can then move into belief.

In regard to the projects I'm desiring for myself these days... that I skimmed over above/made mention of ... I never really got away from it... even while sick... because I was focused on acceptance... and moving forward... even when I could 'actively' do  'nothing' toward.

As terrible as I felt... it really is  almost over... I can feel it... and the timing feels  right... for how I want to approach things... 

I can now feel even more as I begin to feel even better better better... I will revisit the things I've had difficulty 'pulling off' to the degree I want with greater results. 

I too believe in putting in the work, and scripting things right where I am  ... what I am desiring...for myself... always acknowledging myself as my best friend... one I can trust, one that has my back... 

I appreciate your thoughts... They continue to add inspiration for what I'm desiring for myself...

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 27/03/2019. Last edited on 16/04/2019.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

I do appreciate this style of affirmation  being more reality based...especially when I  need to allow for more space to 'become' 

I  appreciate  the 'why' of it being close to your heart. I will take some time soon... to open the door to ones for my present moment(:

• It’s a wonderful sign of your mastery, that your behaviors and your time allocation, are well-aligned with your vision for yourself. You have a beautiful and strong vision for yourself, and that is something you feel good about. {I love this one you created!}

this is perfect for me right now!

thank you!

I love how affirmations can catapult me in the direction and the feelings I love even when I'm believing  I'm feeling rough.

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 10/06/2023.

Miss you BrightAngel . Sending you blessings for just being you .

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 10/06/2023.

Affirmations

→   I allow myself the curiosity of a child and I have chosen to make friends with all of my activities.
  →   From my joyful self created bubble I transport myself into my life and allow my next most beneficial task accomplishment scenario with desire and purposeful delight.
  →   My joy is that of a peaceful lighthearted playful baby.
  →   I allowed for the feeling I wanted and now I can ease into whatever I am desiring for this brand new moment.
  →   I have chosen to make friends with all of my activities.

˚state of wonderful  

Posted on 10/06/2023.

In response to Rested , peaceful & proactive's post:

In response to BrightAngel's post:

Making friends with activities  is my new energy Thank you for this thread again , it really helped me today.