If you’re uncomfortable with doing something imperfectly it’s hard to learn new skills. In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss opening yourself up to “perfect floundering” so that you can go ahead and do things that you don’t already know how to do.
Discussion topics include:
- The discomfort of floundering, especially for perfectionists
- The amazing prospect of striving to flounder perfectly
- How embracing perfect floundering can allow you to do stuff even if you don’t know what you’re doing
- How not being willing to flounder can hold you back
- Having more fun by letting your brain flounder more
- The fact that if you’re always comfortable with your skill level, you’re not learning
- How this can apply to not just learning something new, but also to modifying how you’re already doing things
- Inviting feedback on being anti-racist and being willing to do it imperfectly
- How making floundering a goal shifts your relationship with what you’re trying to do (it’s no longer about you)
- Getting clear about what you’re trying to achieve before embarking on perfect floundering so you know what you’re working toward
- Why it’s valuable to label something a “practice”
- The challenge of changing ingrained habits and behaviors
- An important reminder: Always cut yourself slack
As I read the first 5 bullets in the show notes, I muttered to myself, “Janine really likes the word ‘flounder.'” So I was delighted to hear Shannon say, “I like to say ‘flounder.'”