A stubborn fool

I can be stubborn.

Sometimes I think you have to be a bit stubborn in order to do anything because doing anything is a bit like saying “I’m good enough at this to make a go of it”. It’s a rejection of that voice that says “but maybe I’m not good enough?”.

Stubbornness is just an expression of ego.

If, like me, you think that the ego is neutral, not inherently good or bad, just who we are, then stubbornness need not be inherently good or bad either. Sometimes it’s good, other times not.

But sometimes I am too stubborn. Too stubborn for my own good, and too stubborn for the good of others. I learn a great deal from other people, but I don’t always make it easy for those people or for myself.

Reading Erin Ptacek reflecting on the same trait in herself was a good reminder that just because I can do something alone, doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it better – or have more fun doing it! – if I made myself more amenable to collaborating.

Because when I let myself ‘be coachable’, I experience the same dizzy joy that Erin describes.

I feel like a kid again; the world is vibrant and real — there is still so much to learn. It is thrilling.

I recommend it with all my heart.
— Be Coachable by Erin Ptacek

— Erin Ptacek, Be Coachable