The Shame of Choosing not to Improve

So I was reading a book about Alexander the Great today (yes, he is (was) one of the people I look up to), and I came across an interesting quote; "There is no shame in performing poorly at something, only in choosing not to improve."

I had to put the book down for a moment to ponder the awesome message in this quote, and how much I agree with it. This is actually something I've held true for a long time, but never seen expressed so accurately; It doesn't matter how much you suck at something, what's important is that you try your best to improve at it.

Picking Up Something You Suck at

Whenever you attempt something entirely new, this is what you should be telling yourself. You probably won't be very good at it, at least not in the beginning. But that's when you have a choice; either you choose to continue with your new thing until you improve and become awesome at it, or you take the easy way out and just quit, sparing you the "shame" of being bad at something.

But guess what? If you just avoid the stuff you're bad at, you'll never improve in them, and you'll suck at them forever. That is where the true shame lies - not in being bad at something in the beginning, but choosing to continue being bad at them forever. Sure, if you choose to quit something with the sole purpose being that you suck at it, it might spare yous some momentary embarrassment, but it will also hinder your growth at whatever it is you want to do.

The Shame of Quitting

 Chances are that if you're doing something difficult, it's something you want to improve at. Whether it's a new sport you've picked up or even online blogging, it's in your best interest to become good at it (otherwise, what's the point of doing it in the first place?). Especially if you're bad at it, you would benefit the most from improving in whatever it is you're doing.

So if you decide to quit that, you're actively working against your own wishes and your own progress. And there is no awesomeness in that, only shame.

Example of Awesomeness

I actually see this principle in action quite often as I help some of my friends to start working out (yeah, I consider myself a bit of a personal trainer for those of my friends who want to get fit). Most of the ones I introduce to training don't have a lot to show for when it comes to muscles - at least not in the beginning. Usually, they can't lift any more than the 20kg bar without any weights on. But that's how it is - you can't start out and expect to be at the top immediately.

 Now, this is where a lot of people would simply quit, being disheartened and embarrassed about not being at the level they want to be. And that is when a person's true character comes to show - either they quit pretty much instantly, or they decide to push through and become stronger, ignoring whatever embarrassment they may be feeling in the beginning.

And that's what separates the awesome from the unawesome; that will to continue, to improve, even when facing a few obstacles.


So whenever you consider quitting something simply because you're not good at it, ask yourself this; Would you rather take the easy way out and keep sucking at it forever, or push through the hard times in the beginning until you emerged as a pro in your chosen field?