学进去

I always described myself as a perfectionist. To me, it meant that I had high ______, cared about everything I did and I always did my best.

______, then I started to notice that I was a quitter, not a trier. I ______ anything I wasn’t immediately good at. Each time I made a ______, no matter how small, I dropped that task or interest. I was so afraid of ______; I wasn’t even trying anymore.

Actually there was so much I ______ to try, but I never had a go at them. What if I failed? The idea was so ______ that it was easier to leave it as an unknown.

Then one day I spotted an art supply store when I went outside a shopping center. Before I could ______ myself, I bought a tiny set of paints, some paper and brushes.

I headed home full of ______, and started painting. And the results were really bad. ______, I pushed everything into a drawer (抽屉) and decided to forget the idea. But later I got the paints back and started again. I was still poor at painting, but my ______ this time wasn’t reduced. I decided to share my progress on social media!

Now, three years later, I paint almost every day and have ______ my own art business. I regularly fail and make a mess, but I ______ give up. Even better, I’m constantly trying new subjects. I’ve had experiences that a few years ago I couldn’t have ______. I just keep going.

Now I’m no longer ______ perfection; I’m simply enjoying the process.