Embrace imperfection and do things poorly.

Hello, Gorgeous!

Anything is worth doing poorly.

I heard someone say 

‘The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.’

There is a quiet form of perfectionism that does not present as ambition. It actualises as hesitation. Overthinking. 

Waiting for 

• The ‘right’ moment
• the best energy
• the ideal version of oneself to arrive before beginning

The truth is that version of you is not coming.

Not because you are incapable, but because you are meant to become her through action, not before it.

Do things poorly.

Yes, poorly. Messily. Imperfectly. Half-awake, somewhat-prepared, unsure. Take action regardless.

Anything is worth doing poorly.

Many people have been conditioned to tie effort to excellence, believing that if something cannot be done well, it should not be done at all. That if one cannot give everything, it somehow does not count.

Life does not reward perfection. Life rewards movement.

Consistency. That’s the magic word. Or is it discipline? Consistency is nothing without discipline. It does not have to look like discipline though. 

Discipline sounds like a person training for [insert sport here] and rigorous maxxing out calendar days to achieve the peak of what you can give. 

There was an interesting study done on dogs learning new tricks.

When you reward them right away, the more likely they are to do that action repeatedly. Giving them a treat after doing a trick immediately, meant they are more excited to perform. 

This also counted towards people when being trained at work.

When training in sales calls, people will make 17 mistakes in 2 minutes. This is why it is exceptionally imperative for their boss to correct their mistakes instantly and say ‘Good job!’ right away. (‘Now, let’s try this instead.’)

In the dog training study, the dogs who had to wait over a minute to be rewarded never learnt the skill.

Attempts are the least likely to stick, the ones that do not imprint on the body or mind. Muscle memory is not made from hesitation or avoidance; it grows from repetition, even when imperfect. In other words, repetition is your friend.

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The effort that fails to happen leaves no trace. The effort that is tried—even poorly—lays the foundation for mastery. Build on that. 

How to make discipline sexy

Constantly reward yourself. 

A full day of self care is nice depending on what you consider self care. 

For some, it might look like

• Going shopping for a certain items + bonus goodies
• Getting your nails done
• Attending a workout class

But having the entire day accomplish your errands and priorities truly feels like moving the needle. 

Those continuous achievements make everyday livable with small bursts of joy throughout the day. 

A potentially stressful day of getting things done on your list can look like:

• Doing your workout can be done whilst watching a new movie 
• After your workout, you have a tea or smoothie making ritual 
• Creating a danceable playlist in your car when running around town for errands
• Stopping by at a friend’s after dropping off a package/going to the bank 
• Having a dance party whilst meal prepping 

You can see I am a huge fan of two birds with one stone. 

Especially dancing. *Flips hair*

Find your version of this. 

You feel like a star when you do things well. 

During my childhood, we had a night once a week where we studied scriptures together as a family. 

Each week, a family member rotated in teaching and was assigned to conduct a lesson for the entire household. All of us took turns reciting and reading verses and chapters aloud relating to the doctrine shared. 

I dreaded this as a child, because reading the Bible felt esoteric and was Greek to me. However, I learnt a lot and it strengthened my reading and language skills. 

The end of the lesson was the insanely fun part that changed my life forever. I will never forget this. 

Once the lesson concluded, we shared a hidden talent. 

I COULD EXPRESS MYSELF. 

My father was an artist and saw my talents almost every moment we spent time together. 

However, I was really private from the rest of my family members. They made me feel closed off and like my performative skills were not useful or impressive. 

I wanted to prove them wrong. 

This was the time of the week I could show them my new stand-up comedy routine, awful gymnastics endeavours, and scream Celine Dion. That made my entire week. 

It also made me want to enthusiastically buzz through my lessons with a touch of zeal and taught me to read beyond my limited vernacular. I was lousy as I saw my stepmum roll her eyes, but I still loved trying to make my dad nod. 

I was never a good teacher for obscure tenets in an ancient language. But putting myself out there forced me to try at all. 

Isn’t it funny that I eventually ended up as an educator? 

I loved seeing their reactions and hearing their applause when I exhibited my latest book of illustrations or flipping my eyelids inside out. It felt like an encore at Madison Square Garden or Royal Albert Hall. 

Because of that, I learnt how to harness mixing the performance into teaching. 

Everything is worth the effort when you are a kid who just wants to make people smile. 

Being capable in everything you do is what others might see as a flex.

You get rewarded in public for what you practise in private intensely. 

When you build yourself only for you, others are intrigued that you have such an expanded mind at all. Do new things for you. Then master them. 

Remember it takes years to do anything well (unless you naturally have a born talent which is rare), so do not be afraid to look stupid for a while. We are all embarrassing ourselves together. 

A person who shows up imperfectly every day will always outgrow the person who waits to show up flawlessly. 

Society places immense emphasis on the idea of the ‘perfect routine’—early mornings, strict habits, structured days, discipline that never falters. 

One of my favourite all time quotes is 

20 minutes of doing something is worth more than 20 hours thinking about doing something. 

I get stuck in this a lot still today, but have moved past it in a lot of important parts of my life that need to be done sooner than later. Now I only procrastinate with lower ranked priorities. 

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Ideal consistency is fragile. 

It collapses when someone experiences a stressful day, a poor night’s sleep, or a sudden lack of motivation. 

The result is often inaction.

If an activity cannot be performed well, it can start to feel pointless.

The only bad workout is the one that she did not attempt.

It is not the workout where she left early.
It is not the session where his energy felt low.
It is not the practice where someone skipped half the exercises.

There is significant power in lowering the entry point—not standards, but starting points.

Instead of asking, ‘Can I do this perfectly?’ ask, ‘Can I begin?’

Beginning is where change occurs.

A ten-minute workout still strengthens the body.
A few sentences still make a person a writer.
A short walk still clears the mind.
A small step still moves the individual forward.

Taking action builds identity.

Someone who shows up no matter what, despite her feelings, becomes a person who shows up.

The effect of imperfect consistency is underestimated. Progress is often associated with bursts of motivation or rare days when everything aligns and energy feels limitless.

You are forced to get your ducks in a row when you show up daily for yourself.

Real progress is quieter.

It looks like 

• setting up your workout clothes so you do not have to think later
• meal prepping healthy bites, because you do not have time to sit down and enjoy a 2 hour meal
• showering right away when you get home so you can relax without stressing about your skincare routine when too tired and too late at night 

Using your time wisely might not look glamorous, but it gets you places. 

Those are the moments that transform a person’s days, weeks, months, years, decades.

They teach her or him that action does not require ideal conditions. Discipline is not intensity; it is reliability.

Reliability is built through repetition, not perfection.

Allowing oneself to do things poorly removes fear from the process.

Fear is a mile wide and an inch deep. 

When a person decides that doing something imperfectly is acceptable, that fear begins to lose its hold.

The individual is no longer trying to prove anything. She is simply participating.

Consider how many things are delayed or avoided entirely because of pressure to do them well.

The workout that never happened.
The idea that never became real.
The routine that never stuck.
The version of a person that never had the chance to exist.

All because the expectation to perform perfectly was too high. Perfection creates distance. Action closes it. Intensity of extremes might create a fabulous story, but disciplined consistency moves mountains. 

Giving oneself permission to do something poorly shortens the distance between intention and execution. It becomes easier to start. Once started, it becomes easier to continue.

Momentum is built through repeated effort, not flawless performance. You always can polish yourself along the way. 

There is freedom in performing an action without needing it to be impressive.

A person moves differently. She or he thinks less. She or he acts more with the clothes she has on. Allowing space for growth, mistakes, and learning in real time is far more effective than endless preparation.

Preparation has limits. Action does not. Thinking can become a form of avoidance.

Perfectionism often disguises itself as preparation:

‘I will start when I know more.’
‘I will begin when I feel ready.’
‘I will commit when I can do it properly.’

Start everything poorly without fear and laugh about it.

The alternative is not perfection. The alternative is nothing.

Stagnation is a form of death to me. I feel the worst when I look back on a particular few months of my life to see that nothing has changed. That is the most depressing feeling in the world. 

Transformation does not occur in waiting.

Even if you do things mindlessly, you learn what not to do in future.

It still counts.

Imperfect efforts accumulate. You pick up confidence along the way. That proof becomes identity.

A person stops seeing herself or himself as someone who needs perfect conditions. She produces results under any circumstances. Then changes her circumstances along the way creating her own luck.

Barriers disappear and you want to achieve more.

This is the next step not a lot of people talk about.

Every imperfect effort you make adds up, building skill, confidence, and proof that you are capable of showing up no matter what. Stop waiting for perfect conditions—begin now, laugh at your mistakes, and let action become your habit. 

Join TheItGirlSchool.com today and start doing things poorly, consistently, and unapologetically for yourself.