I grew up in a small, rural town in Mississippi that didn't offer a lot of fancy lessons or organizations for kids.
In elementary school, I took dancing for two years. I was never very good, but I took it and can still shuffle ball chain with the best of them.
I took piano for eight years when I was growing up, practicing almost every single day from the time I was 8 until I was 16. Though I don't have a piano in my home anymore, I can still sit down and sight read most songs. All those years of playing the piano and having music in my bones almost daily changed who I would have been otherwise.
In Brownies and Girl Scouts, we learned how to do something different almost every week — decoupage, woodburning, sit-upons and more. Adult volunteers, mothers of friends, gathered the materials and guided us through the processes.
Come summertime, I was able to go to a non-fancy summer camp where my fellow campers and I learned to canoe, shoot a bow and arrow, hand build with clay and have our creations fired.
The point is, while growing up, I had the opportunity to be a beginner on a regular basis.
Most of us do as kids.
But as adults, that changes. The opportunity to be a beginner doesn't arise nearly as often as it did back in elementary or even junior high school. Once most adults hit their stride and establish a career, they have settled on their hobbies and routines. Even in what could be described as a rut of adulthood, most of us glide right along in a comfort zone.
Though there are exceptions, the longer most adults stay in their comfort zones, the more intimidating the unknown becomes. Being a beginner is good for us on so many levels. It strengthens our humility muscle. It reinforces the importance of patience, endurance and the way we can bounce back from mistakes — all traits that tend to make us better versions of ourselves.
Starting something new has the capacity to awaken our curiosity and dabble in the space of imperfection. Being a beginner allows us the chance to delight in the thrill of incremental progress, regardless of how minor the progress may be. It also allows us the chance to marvel at the people who do it well — to be in awe.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote that, "Awe is more than an emotion; it is a way of understanding, insight into a meaning greater than ourselves. The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe. Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme. Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple: to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe."
Being a beginner at almost anything affords the opportunity for more awe because we have an inkling as to what's involved in doing this new thing well.
- Want to learn how to throw a pot on a wheel? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn to shoot a free throw? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn to play the violin? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn to identify bird calls? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn how to build a table? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn to tango? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn to fold an origami crane? It will lead to awe.
- Want to learn how to decorate a cake? It will lead to awe.
Being a beginner also encourages us to be more empathetic for others who are learning things that come naturally to us. Empathy is as powerful as awe, which is as powerful as curiosity — three virtues that simply make living better.
Trying something new once is a wonderful thing, but to get the full benefits of beginning, go beyond the once. Try it at least six times — in classes, from a friend, via YouTube, by a variety of means.
Yes, beginning to learn something has its awkward moments. It's not always fun, and chances are you will want to quit before you reach proficiency. Consider this the nudge to keep going.
Being deliberate about creating opportunities to be a beginner pushes us into new territory. We can grow. We open ourselves up to new experiences, new people and new ways of thinking.
Be a beginner. Learn something new and keep going.
Do let me know how it goes. Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate.com.