Give Yourself Permission to Fail Brilliantly
I taught a workshop last week about creativity. One of the prompts I gave the class was to come up with 50 of the most awful, stupid, horrible ideas ever.
I give this same exercise to my 1-on-1 clients. Many are Soul-Driven Entrepreneurs trying to grow their online businesses. They often come to me when they feel stuck—ready for the next level but paralyzed by perfectionism and fear of judgment.
One of the best things we can do to get unstuck is to simply loosen up and have fun. The quickest way to do that is to give ourselves permission to come up with truly terrible ideas.
The Freedom of a Horrible Idea
Another client of mine, a woman in her 70s, wants to start a YouTube channel. She has no clue how to use the technology or edit a video. I challenged her to create five really horrible videos. She instantly started laughing wildly, coming up with all sorts of ideas for wearing wigs, trying on costumes, and even interviewing people on the street. The act of giving her permission to be "horrible" freed her up to be creative and brilliant.
What if you gave yourself permission to be bad at something? To be a beginner. To fail brilliantly. How would you approach your work differently? Your life? Your relationships?
Schooled in Perfectionism
For most of us, we learn perfectionism in grade school. In school, we are taught to perform perfectly. We have rigid structure, limiting our unique voices as well as our bathroom habits. We learn that there are right and wrong answers and only one of those gets rewarded.
I think about Pink Floyd’s reference to “just another brick in the wall” or how they refer to the education system as a machine spitting out future employees. This is a great system for maintaining order, yet it can strip us of our adventurous nature and our ability to take creative risks. It can also highly condition us to only speak up when we feel we have the perfect correct answer or if we desperately need something. This is really harmful to the sacral, solar plexus and throat chakras.
The Journey Back to Your Magnificent Self
I feel like much of my work is helping people reclaim those lost parts of themselves. The part we lost to the art teacher who told us we weren’t creative. The part we lost when a guidance counselor told us we weren’t smart enough. The part we lost when a well-meaning parent told us to get our head out of the clouds.
The problem isn’t that you’re not brilliant, creative, adventurous, or purposeful. You are all of these things. The problem is that somewhere along the way, you’ve forgotten how magnificent you are.
The journey now is one of recovery—reclaiming what is rightfully yours. That is where true empowerment, confidence, and inner authority lie. When we live a life true to who we are, we feel fulfilled, purposeful, and brilliantly alive.
Wellness isn’t just about being fit; it’s about living the most authentic life possible. Authenticity isn’t about crying on camera; it’s about showing up as you are, in the realness of life.
Your Invitation to Practice
This fall, I’m offering you a few sacred spaces to practice choosing wellness and authenticity over a polished facade:
Work with me 1-on-1: This is for the growth-minded visionary ready to merge their spiritual and entrepreneurial journeys and reclaim their inner authority. Learn more
Join the Yoga + Art Mini Retreat: Gather with a heart-centered community right here in Frederick, OK, for a day of playful creativity and presence. Let's practice being gloriously imperfect together. Learn More