In a world where you can be anything be a beginner
The beauty of starting again and again
Image by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
As I gently move towards the one year mark of my career break I am working on my next project. Unfortunately the savings I built up during the pandemic won’t sustain me forever so needs must and here I am about to launch something new. But that’s the beauty right there, something new. That it might fail is of little consequence because maybe, just maybe it might succeed and wouldn’t that be terrifyingly wonderful.
This illuminating path of self discovery I have travelled on for the past year has taken me places, not the physical kind, a beach in Bali or a bazaar in Marrakesh but in my understanding of myself, and one of the things I discovered is that I love being a beginner. Being open to possibility, unburdened with past outcomes backed by the willingness to look foolish.
Being a beginner offers limitless potential, there is an excitement and optimism that outweighs a fear of failure. Take gardening, I am very much a beginner and I actually think most gardeners are, there is a quiet anticipation when seeds are sown and a wait to see what they will become. But there is also comfort in the opportunity of a second chance. Should your labours not bear fruit or flowers there is always another opportunity to see them bloom.
“The return of the seasons allows us to try again. Again and again – there is no end. What failed last summer can be attempted in the next. Even if a flower dies it is preparing for revival in spring” – A Second Chance from In The Eye of the Garden by Mirabel Osler
Such a beautiful thing to think this is something that applies to life also.
Another joy of being a beginner is books. I love books, browsing beautiful bookshops, buying, and reading. Although I probably do a lot more of the former than the later so overwhelmed by the fact that I will never be able to read as many books as I want to in one lifetime so settling for the browsing and buying. Books are a happy companion to a beginners mind. Inside their pages lay the knowledge to learn just about anything. There are books on anything you could imagine you would like to learn from stand up comedy to brewing your own beer.
Having the curiosity of a beginner can help us in our work life too. Up skilling and upgrading knowledge to keep up with the demands of a changing workplace, but also keeping your work fresh enough to sustain your working life. Learn, unlearn and re-learn. Over the past months and weeks I have very much been a beginner. My new adventure crosses the boundaries from my expert knowledge firmly into beginner territory. I have no idea what I’m doing but I know I can learn and the satisfaction of figuring something out for the first time is joyful. My aim is to bring it into the world and soon so overcoming my perfectionist nature will be key in my success.
Perfectionism can make being a beginner more challenging, so letting go of perfectionism is something I’m working on. The pressure of creating something that can in no doubt be perfect can suck the joy and reduce the likelihood of the project seeing the light of day. So I’m practising being good enough and being done rather perfect and if it fails I will be ready to begin again.
Reading ‘Things worth knowing’ by Farrah Storr and her Substack newsletters on How beauty ruined reality TV enticingly subtitled ‘And why dad bods, divorcees and a crate of booze could save it’ and How chic is your summer which spoke volumes to me as a person with the curse of naturally very curly hair in humid climes.
Reading 3 mindset shifts for big hearted experts who fear self promotion. What can I say the title spoke to me especially in the midst of setting up on my own.
What are you curious about this week?