This is a great post! Thanks for something that came at a very good time for me, and no doubt many others as well. A blessed Easter to you!

Molly,

Even before I came over to read your blog post, I started to write this response. We all move at a human pace, and mistakes and mis-steps are all a part of the dance. Thank you, thank you, for the writing you send, and the encouragement you lend. I'm not a coaching client of yours, so maybe it makes more of a difference that I touch base once in a while, and say - thank you. You make a positive difference in my life and art and working.
There's a self-review checklist you put in a newsletter years and years ago that's become part of my quarterly planning; just simple questions on setting goals and the incremental steps (so, how many hours working on the website / how many items listed for sale online here or there...) which of course changes and evolves depending on how much editing vs. part-time-so-I-get-a-people-hit work, vs. art as production work vs. workshops make up my working mix; but I think of your sun-filled emails when I sit down to do my self-reviews, and you make me smile.
So thank you.
yes, you get to make mistakes, too - I just go past them; and if I who edit theses and dissertations for a living and have that proofreader's eagle eye can be so forgiving, so well may others. Just keep delivering these emails, and I'll be delighted!
Love,

Ruth Temple
Technical Editor
REI - customer service
Weaver & Fiber Artist
Book Artist
Workshop Developer / Teacher
Redwood City, CA

Jim: Thank you for letting me know this connected.

Ruth: Your comment brought tears to my eyes. I so want to be non-attached to getting it right, and I am so not there.

(And I used to shudder when folks used "so" that way. Tee hee.)

Molly,

This was just what the doctor ordered today. I have to tell you that your newsletters, even when I haven't read them consistently, have been life-changing. I also wear an editor's hat (one of my many), and I must admit that none of your mistakes has been jumping up to bite me.

Thanks for getting out there and spreading the good word around. Many of us, who you never even hear from, are benefitting and passing on your name.

Katherine Grace Bond

Katherine, Thank you. I love the image of mistakes jumping up to bite us. When I'm in a critical mood it feels like the mistake is spitting in my eye. Oddly or not, accepting my mistakes has not made me fully accepting of others'.

And what's funny is that I have 100% choice over whether to get spit upon.

:)

Oh, yes! I agree wholeheartedly with you. Better to get the information out there than wait until it's perfect ('cos guess what, it never will be). As an artist, very often it's the mistakes that lead to incredible journeys and treasures!

DeBorah Beatty
Created Life Strategies
Disconnecting Oughta-Pilots(tm) and Changing Lives

Hi Molly,

First, I want to say that the material you put out without mistakes far outweighs the other. Even with mistakes the content is amazing and who is going to complain about a FREE newsletter chocked full of goodies? Not me!

I also want to add that I appreciate what you have to say because I know my perfectionist tendencies hold me back. I'm very afraid of making a mistake and project a lot of bravado to cover that up. Thanks for the reminder. Truly.

Finally, I will give a different perspective. Sometimes our society is so quick to hit "send" that we don't take a breath and re-read something. The Java-induced culture here in Seattle makes for a lot of mishaps. I speak from my OWN experience with that. It's good to be okay with one's mistakes. It's equally important to take a breath before taking action. It just FEELS good!

My tendency to create a false sense of urgency is probably the biggest "mistake maker" in my own life so I'm kind of an advocate for that right now.

Above all, dear lady, I appreciate your AUTHENTICITY! You rock!

Warm thoughts on a chilly spring day,

Kymberlee

Deborah: Yes. How many of us collect stashes of fabric, yarn, beads, pigments or fill our journals with ideas, but never commit to one project? The ideal of what could be can keep us from bringing our vision into reality.

Kymberlee: Amen. Life and work around here is sometimes crazier than it needs to be because I'm following a "good idea." In fact, years ago, I wrote a newsletter article saying that my biggest problem was thinking good ideas needed to be acted upon.

Fear, competitiveness, and adrenaline all feed that impulsive pattern. I appreciate your bringing that into this conversation.

You're inside my head again -- or at least you're channeling my blog.

My current post is talking about how one of the most meaningful books I ever read was the one that allowed me to
celebrate the things that I suck at!

I used to spend hours and hours at trying to get just a little bit better at the things that I'm really awful about, with little success. Now, most of my time is spent at getting world-class at the stuff the I'm really good at.

Makes all the difference in the world.

Thanks, I've been trading emails today with a complainer, and you just nailed the solution. *smile* Oh happy day!

Molly, I think Thomas would have loved this story. Have you shared it with Andrea?

A few mistakes is human. Writing full of mistakes is just sloppy. Your writing is NOT full of mistakes ... in fact, I never notice them. Hey! Maybe I've overcome my own perfectionist tendencies :-)

Congratulations! You have my vote - for being 1) human and 2) caring more about content and communication than correct grammar!

Years ago, almost in another lifetime, I was an ESL (English as a Second Language)teacher. Other teachers always had their red pen out to mark students that made spelling and grammatical errors. I saw pages of work go back to crestfallen students covered in red ink - the
teachers statisfied they had done their job.

I thought there must be as better way and so I devised the 'purple pen' scheme, whereby I only marked what was correct on their papers with purple pens, the rest remained unmarked. Each student quickly came to understand that the more purple pen marks on their paper the better their English was becoming. At the end of that year one of my students become DUX of the school (made up of 300 senior students of which only 25 were ESL!) He beat every native speaker in their own language.
At the end of the year the principal of the school asked me why my students were 20% more capable of English than other teachers students and my comment was - " We gain nothing by focusing on what is missing, but we develop confidence if we focus on what is right - and confidence means more willingness to learn and become better - my students have just proved this to you. You forget that in their own language they are fluent and clever - never assume because they make a spelling or grammatical error that they are ignorant because they may not be."

I would not dream of pointing out your grammatical faults when the content you deliver is so spot on!

Bless-sings

Melody

Hi Molly

I like the viewpoint of Wikzek who said, "If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake." so I encourage myself and others to make mistakes. Often times we learn more from our mistakes than we ever do from stuff we "get right".

Consider an accomplished concert pianist, a maestro of music. From the time she started to learn to play the piano, how many mistakes has she made?

From the time she began to rehearse this piece of music, how many mistakes did she make?

Do you imagine she has finished learning to play the piano? If so, how will she now grow?

What is and is not correct changes with context. And context changes all the time.

Here in England if the middle is spelt 'center' it's a mistake. In other parts of the world (e.g. USA) if it's spelt 'centre' it's a mistake.

If we change the language entirely to, say, Chinese, both are a mistake.

And since "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant" can come between us at any time, what I may perceive as an error may be no error at all when it reaches you.

Our present success is built on all the mistakes we made yesterday. As Henry Link put it, "While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior."

Keep making mistakes Molly. If there are universal scales which measure our net contribution the great good you do far outweighs the typographical false steps you make along the way.

Focus on the message, not the means of communication. In my little corner of the globe, even on a cloudy day, your sunshine still glows.

Molly,

I have been reading your newsletters for over a year now, and this is the first time I've commented here. This post is not a surprise to me, but it reminded me of why I love what you do (and how you do it). It's your authenticity, integrity and quality beautifully-written content.

You rock Molly. Thank you.

Molly:

I have been receiving your newsletters since New Leaf was the title and have always received a great deal of inspiration from them. But I have to say that this little blog on "mistakes" shows me exactly why my procrastination exists regarding my writing.

Having been raised by a perfectionist mother, and a father who could do the NY Times Crossword in ten minutes in ink, my perfectionism comes out most surrounding words - and stops me from actually taking any real action on the book I keep saying I'm going to write.

I do find it easier to ignore other people's "mistakes" than my own, and truly appreciate this little blog - as well as all the comments posted thus far.

Keep doing what you're doing - and with your help and inspiration I might finally get my own book written as well.

Thank you for all you do.

Thank you, Molly. As I an currently procrastinating on a project because I'm afraid I will make a mistake, your blog entry is perfect timing. Thanks to Ruth Temple also....beautifully put.

Faith
Fiber Artist and Handweaver
Phila,PA

Thank you, Molly. As I an currently procrastinating on a project because I'm afraid I will make a mistake, your blog entry is perfect timing. Thanks to Ruth Temple also - I appreciate your words.

Faith
Fiber Artist and Handweaver
Phila,PA

Thanks for the reminder that being perfect is not a requirement for being in business and making money. In fact, striving for perfection is often the very thing that holds us back and keeps us afraid of putting ourselves out there for the world to see. It keeps us stuck and unable to move for fear of others seeing that we are not perfect. Once we can get past the need to be perfect and give ourselves permission to make mistakes, it gets much easier to get stuff done.

Thanks Molly.
Your words are always encouraging.

(Working backwards.)

Joe- I feel encouraged when you take the time to say my words are encouraging. :)

Faith: Procrastination is a natural outcome of the fear of making mistakes. And it's a vicious cycle: If we feel procrastination itself is a kind of mistake, we're even more afraid. Talk about stuck! I love that you found your way forward.

Ruth: I hear you. And I second Faith and Marion's appreciation for how you expressed the dilemma.

Marion: Love that we've been together since The New Leaf. I like to think that publicly making and letting go of my mistakes helps others to do the same. Imagine--a world full of flawed happy people!

Dannette: Welcome to a new-ish reader, and thank you for taking the time to comment. Your feedback and support mean a lot.

Paul: The sun shines a little brighter here as I read your comment. I love your observation that what is correct changes with context. Spot on!

Melody: Your purple pen scheme is brilliant. I'm going to use it with my own writing. Instead of grumbling about the flaws I find when I edit (as opposed to the ones I miss, which trouble me little), I'm going to turn all the good parts purple!

Carmel, Michele: :)

Susan: Which Andrea? I'd love to share the story, and I'll poke around for the appropriate connection.

Dick: Me being inside your head. Now that's a truly scary notion. I hope you are feeling better now! ;-)