My handwriting is illegible - something I knew for sure that just ain’t so

There’s a quote often attributed to Mark Twain that goes like this:

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

I’ve always agreed in my mind, thinking, “Hmmm. That’s so smart.” But I never really thought about what I might know for sure that just ain’t so.

Recently, I’m learning visual note-taking and as part of that process, I practiced fonts.

Somehow, despite believing that I have a 'growth mindset', I assumed my handwriting is my handwriting. It's illegible. There's nothing I can do about it. Or, I'll have to return to kindergarten to improve it. Or something.

Practicing fonts and seeing the different ways I could write my letters made me realize this just isn't so.

I realized I can improve my handwriting. In fact, as I learned in Pencil Me In, there's even instructions on how to do it! The secret is to slow down and focus on the shape of the letters. To make round letters really round, and pointy letters extra pointy.

Just being mindful of these and being intentional about how I write have already made a big difference.