It's worth doing badly

Some years ago I heard some-one say "Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly." And I smile from way down deep inside came over me. Whatever happened to the conventional wisdom that anything worth doing is worth doing well? Finally the pathway to excellence was being widened to include those persons wise enough and willing enough to fail their way to success. But if truth be told, we have all been painstakingly aware of the many scientists and entrepreneurs who had been convicted enough of the validity of their ideas that they were willing to face failures of massive consequences. But failures such as these were never  glamourized. Failure, in fact, was never seen as an option. Fast forward a number of years and failure is hailed as the flip-side to success.....two sides of the same coin, they say - failure, a necessary step in the process.

So often we are sold stories of celebrities, politicians, high-profile media personalities and others in the public domain who are said to be born with exceptional talent, have above-average intelligence or are in some other way in possession of traits that pre-dispose them to succeed. We are hardly ever told stories of minions who fight their way to success, or the intellectually challenged who eventually achieve academic excellence. How often do we hear of the average man with a passion for something for which he is not particularly talented? How many would be intrigued by stories of the average man constrained by a dream he feels compelled to bring to the light? Who wants to hear the stories of the untalented investing years of his time in a pursuit nobody thinks he's suited for? Not many.....maybe not any. Is it any wonder we never hear those stories?

The fact is that many of today's renowned were not born with an inclination towards their craft, skill or passion. They simply responded to what they felt was a calling. To them it mattered not so much that they did it poorly year after year. It mattered far more simply that they did it. Being great at the start was not the primary concern. Becoming great along the way was a far more appealing prospect. And the ones who wanted it badly enough are the ones who are today hailed as immensely talented. You may not be able to do it well today but its worth continuing the fight. You may long for some cheer-leaders along the way and not find any, but keep at it. If it's important to you keep doing it badly til it's perfected. Champions are not made in the ring!