“A man on a galloping horse wouldn’t notice” has been my life motto for as long as I can remember.
It comes from my mom’s friend Daphne, who was a prolific and messy quilter. Whenever her friends told her she had to unpick seams so that things lined up perfectly, she would say, “a man on a galloping horse wouldn’t notice!” And as a result, she made many more quilts than any of her friends – all of them brightly coloured and donated to children’s homes.
How wonderful! I swallowed Daphne’s edict whole. It helped cure me of perfectionism and is a big part of why I’m able to get so much done – I’ll try my best, and as long as it’s 80% of the way there, I’m happy.
Except.
Sometimes a man on a galloping horse *would* notice.
Like when you have a 5 min pitch in which to explain why your idea to improve the lives of people with diabetes is worthy of being a finalist in an international diabetes innovation challenge.
Tomorrow afternoon, I pitch. I have revised my script 15 times (no exaggeration – I keep downloading it to print and I’m on version 15). I’ve revised my PowerPoint presentation (the first of my life!) more times than I can count. I have worked evenings and weekends – which is anathema to me – and taken so much feedback, gladly, and pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone that when I spent the morning replying to emails today, it felt like a holiday 😆
I deeply believe in this idea: a diabetes education solution for South Africa – and Africa – using WhatsApp. I have worked so hard to polish this pitch because they cut you off at 5 mins, so every second counts. I can recite whole sentences off by heart, as I have been doing all day.
And so we’ll see! There is literally no more I can do but be present, tomorrow, and do my best.
My galloping horse has taken me this far… I wonder what delightful things are going to happen to me next?
#motto #lifemotto #perfectionism #perfectionist #pitch
My mother always said this about me however it landed the wrong way. I took it to mean no one would notice me because I was the galloping horse. It made me feel ugly and not worth anyone’s time. I wish I had known this 70 years ago so I would not have all the self doubt and loathing I’ve lived with.
Oh my goodness, Sally, the galloping horse is a beautiful thing to be! It means you are wild and free and not worried about the nitpicking of life. Thank heavens you know it now so you can toss that self doubt and loathing over your shoulder as you gallop off.