Be A Beginner

 

“Become a beginner again. We lose something wonderful when it becomes more important to us to be the one who knows than to be the one who’s open to the everyday wonders around us. Those who think they know it all have no way of finding out they don’t.” ~ Anonymous

How does it feel to be a beginner at anything? The first day at __________ always feels awkward until you make a few friends, learn a few ropes and generally get the hang of your direction around stuff.

But what if you are always a beginner? Try to imagine that scenario for school or work. . . not nice.

However, there are situations where you can always be a beginner and love it. As a crafting enthusiast, I find myself always learning and starting from scratch on a number of tangents that then lead to interesting discoveries. It’s boring crocheting the same design twice, baking a cake the same way twice or drawing a tree the same way over and over again. The real fun comes in discovering what variations work and seeing the different slants to a basic design.

So why are we so terrified of starting something new? Tinkering where no prior experience or knowledge exists? Fear of failure, perhaps? Fear of looking foolish? Fear. . .that phantom! May Sarton once said “It is good for a professional to be reminded that his professionalism is only a husk, that the real person must remain an amateur, a lover of the work.” It is that love that drives us forward into constant learning, discovery and invention.

Is there any craft you engage in that has you passionately in love with learning, discovery, invention? Do you do anything that drives you to constant research and discovery? Is anything making the neurons of your brain shift and re-shift . . . or did you find your happy place and settle to same old, same old until kingdom come? They say when a fruit stops growing, it ripens and then starts on the rotting path unless it is eaten first. If you’re still here, you have not been eaten. Are you growing or rotting?

This year, get curious about something that has always intrigued you but you’ve never tried it. You’ll be surprised how much help you can get online and around you if you just spend a few minutes tinkering around. Make it as wild or tame as you’d like, then go out there and find your tribe. Your brain cells will thank you for the jolt and you never know where it will take you. Learning is never wasted and so long as there are no exams coming, it’s never that serious.

Dressmaking, baking, driving a truck, bungee jumping, water rafting, paragliding, skateboarding, flying a helicopter, baking bread or a cake, soap making, pencil sketching, yogurt making, beer brewing . . . I just made some mango jam last night off an internet recipe. I like it, but it doesn’t look anything like what we buy in the shop. So what? It’s Kúi’s first jam and the train is out of the station. Engage your curiosity in a direction that makes you tick then come let’s talk.

In the comments, I’d appreciate if you could take a minute to grow that list of stuff you’ve always wondered about and wanted to try but haven’t yet. You never know!

“Face every challenge like a beginner to learn what your expertise has been hiding.” ~ Jeffrey G. Duarte

 

 

 

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