Take Messy Action

Episode 170

Welcome to Episode #170 of the Art of Homeschooling podcast! Let’s take a beat to acknowledge the frequent messiness of homeschool life. Today, I’m here to encourage you to take messy action.

I often say, “It’s the doing that counts.” And in order to gain confidence and find your flow as a homeschooler, you need to be willing to take imperfect action.

In this episode, you’ll hear practical tips and helpful mindset shifts to inspire you to do just that, to take messy action!

Embracing Imperfection in Homeschooling

Embracing imperfection is something I learned to do gradually over my 30+ years of educational experience. Here are some ideas to keep in mind:

Take action, even if it’s messy! Simply reading a curriculum about what to do won’t bring about change. It’s crucial to jump in, observe the results, and keep going.
Start small: Begin with doable plans and gradually build up to a flexible, yet enriching homeschooling day.
Focus on simplicity: Avoid overcomplicating your plans and curriculum choices. Simplicity fosters consistency and success.

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”
~Mark TWain

The Journey of Learning and Growth

Failure is part of the journey! The more you’re willing to try and then observe the results, the faster you’ll discover what your children need to grow and learn.

Change takes time: Understand that learning and progress occur gradually. Patience is key.
Accept failure: Embrace failure as part of the learning process and use it as feedback for improvement.
Resilience is your friend: Stay committed to the homeschooling journey despite challenges. Resilience leads to long-term success.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
~Samuel Becket

Overcoming Perfectionism and Embracing Progress

It’s important to understand and really take in the fact that successful people fail over and over again.

So give yourself grace and a healthy dose of realism. You can make progress if you’re patient and embrace that change happens gradually.

Reframe failure: View failure as feedback rather than a setback. Learn from mistakes and keep moving forward.
Take messy action: Don’t wait for perfection to show up before starting. Progress is achieved through imperfect action.
Embrace imperfection: Overcome perfectionist tendencies by accepting imperfection as part of the journey. Focus on progress over perfection.

“Failure is success in progress.”
~Albert einstein

Are you ready to take messy action?

I’ll leave you with one more quote. Maybe to write down in your planner or jot down on a sticky note.

“Everyone falls down.
Getting up is how you learn to walk.”
~walt disney

I hope I’ve inspired you to take messy action in your homeschool today!

Rate & Review the Podcast

If the Art of Homeschooling Podcast has inspired you, I’d LOVE it if you could rate and review the podcast on your favorite podcast player! Reviews can be left on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Podcast Addict, or Stitcher.

Or simply pop on over to lovethepodcast.com/artofhomeschooling and choose where you want to leave your review.

And if you want to show your appreciation for the Art of Homeschooling Podcast, you can buy me a cup of tea!