Beginnering

I'm Beginnering This Blog

I don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing as a blogger. But here's what I know. I'm going to get good at it. Why? Because I'm sick of not being good at it. That's why. I want to share myself generously in a way that has meaning for others and stop hiding behind the "I'm going to wait until I'm the world's best blogger before I start blogging" nonsense that stops me and a lot of other people from having the fun of figuring out how to do something they've always dreamt of doing.

But here's the grim reality: for the moment, this blog may suck. I apologize for that if that's the case. It also may not suck, which would be awesome. But I'm not really in control of that yet. I haven't learned the ropes. 

I encourage you to check back periodically, because I'm going to continue working on this until I create something that has value to you (not necessarily you, Mr. Critic McSkeptical: if you're not inclined to find value in it, I'm probably not going to be able to reach you. I'm talking to you, Mr. Guy-who's-looking-for-what-I'm-sending-out and Ms. Hmm Tell-me-more). In the end, I aspire to make this something you'll want to check in on from time to time to see what's new. But that's for later. Now? It's just time to begin. 

Who knows what'll happen next? Fun.

In the meantime, I'm going to have to go ahead and suck...until I don't. That's the essence of beginnering and it's what makes it so powerful: you get to actually do what you want while you're figuring it out!

Hold on for the ride. It may be bumpy... 

How to "Beginner"

Beginnering doesn't mean being a novice. It means approaching your work as though you are a novice. It's about being at peace with not knowing everything, with accepting interim failure as part of ultimate success. It's an attitude that frees you from the shackles of perfectionism and allows you to see more possibilities, build skills faster and learn more deeply because you've decided to let go of your natural inclination to try to look like a pro and go ahead and let yourself suck.

The process can be best described as DO IT FIRST, FIGURE IT OUT SECOND, which means begin without knowing how and learn how by doing.

The goal as you progress from novice to journeyman to expert is to retain your beginner mentality so your learning is always engaged, fun and sticky.

 

HOW MOST PEOPLE TRY TO GET GOOD AT THINGS:

Read social cues or follow directions to determine what should be done.

Enroll in a class where an expert shows you their solutions to some pre-solved problems.

Graduate from the class, not because you've mastered anything but, because the class is over.

Try applying those neat, cookie-cutter solutions to your own weirdly shaped problems.

Hit obstacles you didn't anticipate.

Read the difficulty as proof that you suck. 

Hide your shame.

Get stuck.

Take a "break" (and never return).

 

HOW TO BEGINNER:

Decide what you want.

Commit to getting it done.

Decide what piece you're ready to do, now.

Start doing it.

Hit an obstacle you didn't anticipate.

Accept that obstacles are part of the process.

Shrug at the silly ways you get things wrong.

Stay in it until you find your way through, over, around it.

Celebrate your awesomeness.

Repeat.