Wabi Sabi doesn’t discourage competition. Competition allows us to get better, and challenges us to put in the work needed to build expertise.
I’ve never been one to enjoy competition, and often times have shied away from anything involving a winner and a loser. I have convinced myself that not being competitive with others is okay since I challenge myself to improve.
But if the truth be known, I’m sure it is the anticipation of failure that has held me back. Even as I’m writing this series, I’m holding back by not sharing it with others.
Kempton points out that, “Our risk of failure is a product of the size of the stage we put ourselves on.”
By limiting that stage size we can reduce the amount of failure we experience. To be completely honest, it’s really hard for me to think of times I have failed. Perhaps, relationships have been my Achilles heel, and my failures have had more to do with people vs tasks.
I have learned over the years not to put myself out there for public scrutiny. Rejection can really sting. If your stage is small you probable are going to come out ahead. Except, “The growth opportunity is in the stretching.” In other words learning to expand our comfort zone allows us to, as author Gretchen Rubin says, “Live the bigger life.”
When we approach failure in the eyes of Wabi Sabi, we can stop striving for perfection. We may not like failure, but we certainly can learn from it.
What we do know is that nothing in this world is permanent. Even that disgruntled feeling of not meeting the mark will soon fade away.
Remember each day provides a new opportunity, a new beginning, and a new perspective to how we approach life.
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