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In my youth, dare I say I was stubborn, bull headed and hard to deal with at times.
A trait I would like to think I am not alone in as we all try to figure out this thing we call life. Even at times when I thought I was teachable, easy to deal with and open to what the world, or others, were trying to teach me, looking back now I can honestly say that I still had a lot of learning to do and opening up to master if I was ever going to go far in life.
I’m sure that in 10 years I will look back and say the same thing about myself now, and I hope I do. Because if so, that means I have continued to grow and learn and be teachable as others show me how to be successful.
I bring this up for many reasons, first of all, admitting we don’t know everything can sometimes be painful and admitting you need help proves a difficult task for some, if not most. Although, it has been proven that when we do only good things follow. This week, I sat down with my boss and hammered out a project that we have been talking about accomplishing together for a while. Pretty much probably since I got hired here. I took on the role of student, while he graciously sat with me for hours and taught me a world of things I did not know. Not only did I marvel at his patience with me, don’t tell him this but sometimes he likes things to be done his way or the highway, but I was also open to learning, being taught and accepting the fact that – no, I don’t know what I am doing.
I didn’t ball up like a child from my past and act like I already knew, or throw a fit when I did not get something right the first time. I did not admit defeat immediately when I was having problems learning a task or ask for him to just do it for me. I sat, patiently, and tried to soak up all the learning I could from a person who, dare I say it – knows more than me.
Not only that, but I know I still have a long way to go – and that is ok – as I work at being patient with myself while he is also patient with me and I continue to learn through my mistakes to one day be better than I am today.
There is a saying that goes, “strive for progress, not perfection.” If we continually work towards a goal, we will get there. Let us work to inspire others with the way we deal with our imperfections. “Making a mistake is better than faking perfection.” Who wants to be perfect anyway? Perfect is boring, and there is only one Jesus. He wore the crown and we don’t. It’s time we stop acting like we do and accept that we are a work in progress, as long as we are willing to put in the time.
Failure should never be feared. Being in the exact same place next year as I am now, now that scares me. Luckily, having a boss like I do I know that won’t be the case. I’m always a work in progress, even if it is messy sometimes. Lucky for me, I’ve grown up to be a whole lot more open and teachable than I was even a year ago. Now that is progress to be proud of.

Brittany Fuller is the community editor of The Jessamine Journal and Jessamine Life magazine. She can be reached at brittany.fuller@jessaminejournal.com.