Learning Out Loud

I am a perfectionist. Believe it or not, it is actually more of a weakness than a strength. Being a perfectionist, I have this inescapable desire for everything to be perfect. So before I show anyone my masterpieces to be, I wait until it is perfect. The problem is since I’m human, I’ll be waiting forever. Then all the ideas I have, all the things I write and create will never be shared because they will never be perfect.

I think to myself “I’m only 19, all the experience and knowledge I have can fit on a teaspoon, what can I teach or share that has any value to anyone?” I resolved to wait till I go to school, get a degree, learn this or that then I’ll be brilliant and then I’ll share my brilliance.

While trying to gain knowledge and experience is great, I have recently discovered that I should not learn silently. I should learn out loud. Whatever is a work in progress, a script I’m writing or a business endeavor, I must document it for it to help others. In the professional world, excellence does not have to be perfect to gain a following. I have to take my following on my journey.

Here are 3 ways I am learning how to learn out loud.

My least favorite part of writing is the rough draft. It is the messiest, most unattractive part of writing. Every time I write a rough draft I want to burn it. I definitely do not want to show anyone. Sharing a rough draft of anything, a business proposal, a script idea, anything you could be working on is important. Not only will it help you gain connections you will gain constructive criticism that will make your work and future work better.

This is also a great way to let people know what you’re working on and attract interest in it. This is where a following begins.

Recently, I have been writing a screenplay and trying to shoot a short film. I have been reluctant to show or even tell anyone about it because it definitely is not my finest work. Of course, it’s not, it’s my first attempt. If I created a youtube video about my trials and errors of making a short film and post about the process on social media, others would benefit and it would build interest to see the final product.

If I wait to share anything about this project only when I finish the script and edit it and polish it, who’s going to see it. No one knows about it and no one cares. People are interested in the process so they can learn with me. People would be interested in how I made a movie with nothing but a friend and an iPhone, so they can learn do it too.

Learning out loud helps you gain confidence. You are your own worst critic. Sharing what you’re working on invites an outside opinion. With all the constructive feedback, that idea or piece of writing you were unsure about turns out to be a lot better than you thought.

I wrote a blog post about speechmaking which is something I’m still trying to master myself. It was not my favorite post I’ve written. I felt it was the worst I’d written thus far. But I posted it anyway, and Medium asked if I would submit it to their publication. Some local community leaders saw it and offered me a speaking engagement, talking to teen girls about the importance of public speaking skills. None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t posted a piece I thought wasn’t good enough.

This was one of the hardest posts I have ever had to write. I procrastinated posting it because it was not perfect enough. Learning in front of people was uncomfortable for me. I was used to studying all night and then showing up to class already learned and ready to answer questions. I’m a perfectionist. But from learning out loud I discovered that excellence does not have to be perfect, and it actually gives an opportunity to help others learn too.

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