For one, it’s a good way to learn how to get things right. Whenever I do something new, there’s a good chance I’m going to get it wrong a lot at the beginning. This helps teach me how to get it right. Or at least to continually see growth. When I feel like I have to do everything perfectly, I open myself up to guilt and condemnation and poor self-esteem. That’s because I’m not going to get everything perfect.

I didn’t know this for a long time, but it’s really freeing as I begin to understand it now. When I’m in a bad situation, I’m more and more finding myself feeling hopeful that I’ll do it different next time instead of just feeling regret about the situation and how I got into it. Instead of thinking “I’ll never try that again”, I’m learning to think “if I keep trying, it should get easier and better each time”.

I’ve lately been commuting to work for a new job. I live in Beijing and I don’t have a car, so I’m reliant on public transportation. There are an abundance of ways I could get to work. And I’ve been trying out many different routes and forms of transportation. Yesterday I got really frustrated when I tried a new route on the subway and found that due to the route and the time I left, it was a very uncomfortable commute. Too many subway transfers, crowds of people pushing to squeeze into the subway cars, and a theme-park style line of people waiting to get on the elevator at the office building when I finally arrived. Yesterday, while I was in the middle of it, the commute really frustrated me. Today, however, as I was commuting to work I was glad that I went through the experience. Now I know not to leave at that time in the morning and I know not to take that particular route. By getting it wrong, I grew into a knowing a better way. Now I can share that way with others and save them some trouble.

I guess that’s why I’ve decided to share my writing and sketches.