Permission to Suck

This summer I read The Heart to Start by David Kadavy, a short read with the subtitle "Stop Procrastinating & Start Creating." As someone who struggles with getting started and fighting the productivity-killing "What ifs…?" that plague my thinking process, this book needed me to read it. Its straightforward, direct style provided an explanation of what keeps us from growing in our work and some simple advice for taking the first step towards that growth. One particular chapter - "Permission to Suck" - connected closely with the work that I want to do for the facilitators and learners in our building. Because I struggle with getting started, always aware of the possibility of failing, I have become adept at not starting. This is not a way to promote growth. Kadavy writes, "If we never get started, we never get good, and you can't get good without first being bad. …[Y]ou need to accept that your first attempts will not be up to your standards. You have to give yourself Permission to Suck." Pardon my next thought, but I suck at giving myself Permission to Suck. In my mind it is akin to waking each day with a goal of mediocrity in all that I do, or sitting back and being content with a rating of "Satisfactory" for my work. But at the same time, I know that my inability to grant myself Permission to Suck is simply my pride reacting to my failing efforts. I need to grant myself permission because if I don't, I'll never grow as an educator. I need to understand that not all parts of my efforts will result in overwhelming success. Some will simply suck. The focus should be on what is learned from simply getting started and working to create and improve. So as you prepare for the new school year, for tackling new challenges and pushing yourself as an educator, remember to cut yourself some slack and give yourself Permission to Suck. Not only is this a valuable piece of advice for facilitators, but it is equally important for learners to understand that we need to Suck before we get better.