Why It’s Important to Be Comfortable As a Newbie
In a world that is becoming more and more public, it is scary to try something new and be known as a beginner. However, if you can’t feel comfortable feeling new, it won’t be easy for you to get better.
The ideal beginner is enthusiastic and doesn’t care about how he looks. They will practice, screw up, and get up again without even thinking about it. However, people who are experienced or used to being experts may feel discomfort at the thought of returning to the base of the totem pole. This makes it very difficult to learn new skills. As Andy Stevenson, executive director of the Lee Institute in Charlotte, explains:
Awards, promotions and even our own social media highlight what we’re already good at. But this can create very subtle pressure to achieve perfection. Thinking we should be the perfect employee, the perfect parent, the best community leader. We can almost fetishize talent and put it above courage. We can fall into the trap of waiting for experience and fear of incompetence.
It is counterintuitive to expect excellence without practice, but as experienced adults we do it all the time. If you have a steady job doing what you do well, it’s scary to come back to a time when you’re awkward, uncomfortable, and don’t know what you’re doing. However, if you can overcome this fear, you will be able to expand your skill set over time.
The Importance of Being a Newbie | TEDxCharlotte