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One of the joys of being a newbie is that with the beginner status we get the privilege to play and experiment, relax the expectations and the preconceived ideas about us being this or that way. As we take the first steps and make the first thousand mistakes we adopt the investigative attitude and practice, practice, and when we think we got it practice some more.
I believe it is a very healthy and inspiring experience to expose oneself to new experiences. Every year I choose a field or two to try my hand at. It can be anything from a new language to a karate class. This practice brings me back to the beginner's joys of discovering that it is from those very "mistakes" we learn and therefore there can be no mistakes, only experience. It also allows me to extend my social network and meet people I would have unlikely met otherwise. This particular strategy is supported by two principles that help me insure that this new activity does not become a new stress factor and fits into my lifestyle.
What one man can, I can
This belief is the foundation of creating the resourceful conditions for us to succeed in what we are doing. It can be hard to believe sometimes when as a beginner I watch an expert at work but watching and admiring her performance empowers me only if I truly believe it is possible for me as well. The only way to achieve it is... by giving up all attempts to succeed and simply let the action get expressed through me.
One thing in, one thing out
There is just as many hours in a day and to add something to it I first have to make space for it. This semester I am taking a class in traditional Chinese painting style Xieyi and decided to let go of my bonsai hobby which opened a whole new world for me and brought me a lot of joyful encounters.
Newbie attempts at handling "the four treasure of Study": paper (zhi), inkstone (yan), ink stick (mo) and brush (bi). One can see that I have a very vague idea about what a wide orchid looks like (this one reminds more of a clutser of bananas) and have a lot to learn about using ink and brush.
The truth is you're already a cook.
Nobody teaches you anything,
but you can be touched, you can be awakened.
Out down the book and start asking,
"What have we here?"
From Edward Brown's cookbook "The Tassajara Recipe Book"
think about this:
When was the last time you tried something new?
What would you like to try your hand at? How would that enhance your quality of life?
What stops you from doing it now?
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