It’s OK to be wrong

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” ~Patti Digh, Creative Is a Verb

Do critics and perfectionists test your patience? These are the control freaks who like to point out the crooked seams on your brand-new shirt, for example, or correct other people’s errors in casual conversation. Always right, they won’t consider an opposing viewpoint — even if it’s as clear as daylight. I’ll bet you know a few of them too — and would agree they’re not so much fun to be around.

The fear of being wrong, or appearing wrong, is a buzzkill for just about everything. Today’s quote reminds us that creativity involves risk and adventure, which can lead to making a few mistakes.

Living a full, juicy, creative life requires true humility — and a willingness to risk error or disappointment. As I tell everyone in my writing workshops, the quickest way to overcome the paralysis of writer’s block is to stamp out your fear of being wrong. The sure path to joy — in anything you do — is getting over yourself and being humanly imperfect. ~CL