If you've ever done something so embarrassing, and then somehow stopped it before there was no turning back, have I got a story for you. If you want to my how my funny mistake can help with your personal growth, read on.
Today was supposed to be a lazy day for me, but the late night discovery of a birthday party invitation created a storm of activities and calendar shuffling that made the list morning feel heavy. I helped my husband make breakfast, made kids beds, drank coffee, and then headed to my office to do something productive and creative before the activities began. But what should I tackle first?
Putting the mantra of "we eat the elephant one piece at a time" to work, I decided to start with the quickest and "easiest" of topics, posting a TikTok. For those of you who also find this stressful, I see you. To help take the pressure off myself I'm focusing on being more vulnerable and filming short honest moments. I hope that they will find those who need to hear me. I was shocked at the amount of advice I got when I posted a picture of what I thought was a dying plant and asked for some assistance.
I can't remember if I heard it from Allison Lane or Holly Hibbard (both women offer fantastic podcasts about writing, leadership, and getting your voice out), but the idea of creating content I need to hear resonates with me. I acknowledged my own fatigue and overhwhelm, and settled on a quick word of encouragement for the world on this Sunday morning. I hit record, and fumbled a few times before thinking there was a usable soundbite.
I hit the replay button before editing and there it was. That shadow under my nose was not bad lighting. It was a giant booger. I laughed at myself - that wouldn't have been great to unleash into the world. So, I recorded and explained that sometimes doing your best isn't 110%, it's making sure you record a TikTok without a booger under your nose. I loved it on the first recording and posted with confidence.
Why do I tell you this story? Because I could've flipped out at myself and gone down a path about how hard social media is for me and how I'm never going to figure it out. I could've blown my nose and continued with some boring, same old "You can do it" message. Instead, I thought about a lesson I've learned recently in Improv Class: "Mistakes are fumbles, fumbles are opportunities." (Check out Unscripted productions if you're in the NJ/PA area and interested, I highly recommend).
My booger was an opportunity to recognize my own humanity and embrace it. I have a nose, and things come out of it. I've watched attorneys on zoom calls argue for child custody with giant caterpillars emerging from a nostril...it happens to all of us. That moment of "this thing happened, and I'm going to joke about it and post it" was something people saved and reposted. Who would've thought?
We can apply this idea everywhere. Do you KNOW that you messed up a conversation with your spouse? Start the conversation with your own embarrassment about having to admit you were...not correct. Are you feeling worried about that meeting with your boss because you know that project had a typo on it? Blame Clippy and laugh, then take responsibility.
When you recognize your mistakes as possibilities for growth, you take the focus off the embarassment. After that, personal growth is the only possible result.
Laugh on,
Megan
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