Do any of you remember Jane magazine? It was in circulation from 1997-2007, and I had every issue except the first one. One of the coolest bonuses for subscribers was a mix CD you’d get in the mail every year, and it was the best way back then in the pre-Spotify and Pandora days to learn about some new or off the beaten path music. One year the song “The Beginner” by Miranda Lee Richards was on there. I recently found this CD – one of the only ones that I still seem to have – and I started playing this on repeat. It’s a super upbeat song, and my favorite line goes:
They say I’m a pretender
They say I’m a charlatan
Well, if you’re never a beginner
How’re you ever gonna begin?
I think a lot of us struggle to be beginners. It’s embarrassing to not know how to do something, to fumble around, to feel like your questions are dumb and everyone knows things you don’t. Miranda’s words ring true though – how else are you going to begin any kind of new adventure or new project? I’ve recently noticed that there are a lot of different influences in popular culture right now that speak to the wonderful parts of being a beginner.
For example, “the beginner’s mind” is a concept from Zen meditation and mindfulness where one sees the world through fresh eyes, without preconceived expectations. In this context, you work to cultivate a beginner’s perspective not only with things you really are just beginning, but also to bring that fresh, non-skeptical outlook to every day things to appreciate them anew. This short piece explains this nicely.
Another take on being a beginner can be found in Carol Dweck’s work on the growth mindset. In fact, those with a fixed mindset are likely to really shun the idea of being a beginner, likely because they would assume if they already can’t do something they’re never going to be able to do it. Years of research has accumulated on the advantages of the growth mindset. Here is a summary.
Finally, we’ve been learning from Brené Brown the power of vulnerability. In her many books and much-viewed Ted Talk we learn how being vulnerable can bring us to new levels of strength and personal development. Vulnerability is one reason we avoid being a beginner – but we are starting to learn that it might actually be one of the very reasons we should seek out opportunities to begin new things.
As we go into 2019 and are thinking of new beginnings, let’s also think about ways to dive headfirst into the joy of being beginners. Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Lisa