And so, I have been on a creative’s block for the longest time – hence the mini hiatus from this blog.

Okay, that was a lie! >:(

In the midst of building this blog, I have written at least ten posts in my drafts for the past few weeks. But I was too afraid to post any one of them, thinking that they aren’t perfect enough – at least, not quite there in my opinion.

The list of drafts just kept piling up. I had become a writer in the process… albeit one that was endlessly seeking permission to be good enough.

And then it struck me.

“Honestly, who cares? Who cares if it’s not perfect? Why am I still waiting to feel “good enough” when all I wanted was progress over perfection? There is no pressure to perform. It can be as imperfect, or as perfect… as it already is.”

And who cares if someone reads it, or not?!!

So, here it is. A post of declaration:
– To stop seeking for perfection.
– To stop waiting for permission.
– To allow myself to WRITE AND POST – whenever and however as I wish to!

Have you also felt this way?

Stuck in that loop of perfectionism, where you either don’t start at all, or don’t bother finishing… because you think to yourself, “What’s the point of this?” Especially when you don’t know where exactly is this leading you to?

Well, those thoughts have surely raced past my mind. But perhaps… that is the whole point. To embrace our own imperfections without shaming ourselves into that so-called hiatus, and allow ourselves that freedom to creatively express from within.

To simply, begin again.

The brain is great at protecting us from threats, and while that’s useful for survival, it can be limiting when it comes down to progress. The fear that was standing in the way of our progress, stopping us from moving forward, is the one that only lives in our own heads.

Now, read that again: That fear, only lives in our own heads.

I realized what worked well for me in navigating such situations would be…

Learning to see life as a series of experiments.

Holding the key objective in mind, I started working on the hypotheses to test in my head. No lab coat required, perhaps just a thinking cap? HAHA

To contextualize this experiment:

“Can I complete a post this time round? Instead of writing and saving it into my drafts, can I lean in on my courage to press that POST button?”

Objective: Determine if Ting can complete a blog post and post it
Hypothesis #1: Write, complete post, saved as draft… forever
Hypothesis #2: Write, complete post, saved as draft… re-visit, and post

HAHA well, let’s see if you get to see this post irl.

When we start viewing life as a set of hypotheses to test, there’s no failure — only feedback.

It detaches our identity from the outcome, with no pressure to “perform”, without a need to be “perfect”. Life then becomes a playground of trial and error, using our curiosity to guide us towards progress.

Truth be told, my brain actually loves it – as it constantly looks to test various hypotheses for the next experiment to test in my head. And maybe yours does too.

When my brain is testing hypotheses, it gets to fail faster and grow smarter towards the intended objective. After all, it is always seeking out the next challenge to overcome – just like a mountain to climb, or a problem to solve. It’s no longer about avoiding failure, but about pursuing discovery with a curious mind.

Instead of freezing in fear or spiraling in doubt, this perceptive mindset helps me move into a place of empowerment: To act in accordance to the hypotheses I wish to test.

This experimentation also allows for non-detachment from the outcome.

There is simply no pressure to fix anything, no pressure to do-it-all, no pressure to not fail or succeed, because this lens of experimentation has only allowed a series of succeeding trials and error towards the intended objective one wishes to achieve.

And the best thing about it? You can do it all while having fun in the midst of this experimental play! 😉

Perhaps the miraculous magic of experimentation lies in… not forcing, not deliberating, just simply observing the test results, all while re-iterating and inching closer towards the outcomes we truly desire.

So, what’s the experiment that you’d be running next?