Breathe Magazine Issue 075 Back Issue

Tap, tap, tap… ding! At first listen, the clattering of an old-fashioned typewriter may have a certain soothing resonance. It’s easy to imagine the writer getting lost in the rhythm of their work, watching as the hammered words, the sentences, slowly take shape. But those clanking keys are also stamping out a permanent, inky stream of consciousness which, unlike the words typed under a computer’s cursor, aren’t easily revised. Making changes – crossings out, scribbled annotations, starting again – can be a messy business.
Loosening control over an outcome and accepting that mistakes will be made along the way can be uncomfortable. It could be using a typewriter instead of a computer, spending less time worrying about a presentation you need to give at work or accepting you won’t beat your PB on that run next week. The fear of failure can loom large. It’s scary to let go and trust you’ll be okay anyway, even if disappointment or embarrassment might lie ahead. And can’t striving for your best sometimes be a good thing? After all, wanting to do well can be inspiration to gain skills, improve, move forwards.
It follows, then, that there’s a balance to be found between having high standards and embracing imperfections as a natural part of growth. One where things don’t have to be flawless to be worthwhile; where it’s easy to appreciate what’s in front of you; where who you are, and those around you, is enough.
Striking that balance could mean purposely taking risks to see what happens. Prioritising your own wellbeing, inviting family over without a set plan, typing out that first draft. Learning that high standards don’t always need to be lived up to, that there is no perfect path, often demands exposure to the things that invoke the most fear. But it’s possible that by tap, tap, tapping into those fears, facing them and moving past them, a new world of surprising possibilities and unexpected outcomes opens up.