Be a Beginner

I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm doing it

I saw a quote once, and while I can’t remember the exact words, it said something along the lines of, “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m doing it.”

This really stood out to me as poignant because we cannot learn new things without just “doing it,” and the only way to do something is to do it….even if that makes us the fool, or it feels scary and uncertain, or simply foolish for being a beginner. These are the times where we feel our questions are dumb, but have to muster up the gumption to ask them so that we can comprehend and continue to move forward.

Being a beginner is not foolish, for it is the willingness to step into the uknown and try something new which brings more wisdom.

The best way to do something is to do it and not care if you’re good at it, because you can’t get good if you aren’t willing to be bad at it first.

Have you ever started a job where you didn’t get any training and were “thrown to the wolves” (so to speak)? I have, and those are the most memorable times where I was given a chance to learn what I was made of, to be creative, resourceful, to really show up!

I even remember crying as a little girl when I joined tee-ball because I didn’t know what to do and felt like a deer in headlights. My teacher told me, “it’s going to be ok, I’m going to show you and you are doing to know what to do when you hit that ball!”

There’s a big difference in an encouraging teacher that helps you find your own footing versus a guru, expert, authority, power hungry talking head! I think this is why many are trying to use their own wisdom and life experiences these days to help others without feeling the need to have any “credentials.” Some, are way over there head, but it’s easy to also see that a certification or credential doesn’t make you good at anything, nor useful…and the opposite is also true. But, I digress.

So often we think we must first know this or that or have the plan mapped out in its entirety or when this happens THEN we can do that thing that we want to do. All of this is just procrastination and excuses for not DOING. I’m guilty of this in some parts of life as I have fears like everyone else.

In other ways, I dive in to the uknown, and because of this I’ve had so many amazing experiences in life that I wouldn’t have otherwise had without taking some leap of faith and being willing to begin again and again and again.

To be a beginner is exciting and rewarding. You’ll be proud of yourself if you succeed AND for trying something new, even if you fail.

I’ve taken on a lot of “new” the past few years, more than I can write in a single blog, but this week I’m trying my hand at bee keeping. I just received my custom made traps and hives yesterday and am ready to catch a swarm and become a guardian to these magnificent bee-ings.

I have no idea what the heck I’m doing. I don’t know if I’ll love it, hate it, fail, succeed, but I’m doing it because I want to be more self-sufficient, more connected to nature and the bees need us as much as we need them in this wild-wild-world of madness (well, they probably don’t, but for today we’ll go with that).

I know I can’t snuggle with them like I do my dog, cats, or love on my chickens, BUT I know a new experience will unfold one way or another and when it comes to taking on something that involves another sentient living being, I’m definitely committed to doing the best I can along the way.

Sometimes we just have to get thrown (or throw ourselves) in to something, maybe get stung, probably face some trials and tribulations that we wouldn’t have had if we just stayed comfortable doing the same-old-same-old…but where is the fun in that? where is the growth?

Life is meant to be lived and this can’t be so if we are not willing to continously be learning or beginning.

It’s also easy to think we know everything, to call ourselves an expert or reach a pinnacle in a certain field and think we have it all figured out….but it takes courage to recognize that there is probably more to the story than we may have been told and the only way to explore it from another “angle” is to be willling to look at something we’ve never seen. These kind of people make the best teachers because they know they, too, are ever students in the game of life, not the “authority,” but a guide for those willing to embark on new paths.

If all goes well I’ll report back on my progress, until then, I recommend this online bee class if you are interested in buzzing along the same path (and this is a great website, in general, for learning “traditional” skills - I have no affiliation or gain from sharing).

https://schooloftraditionalskills.com/classes/natural-beekeeping-with-adam-martin/#purchase

BEE A BEGINNER!

What is something you want to learn that you haven’t tried yet? Maybe today is the day to finally book that class, sign up for that course, start writing that book, start that new project, learn that new skill, build that new business, learn a craft, create that website, begin that etsy store, do that hobby that you love but suck at….why not?….if not now, when?

Just remember to have fun along the way….for even life’s challenges can bring laughter…and you don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it….and you don’t have to know what you are doing to start…and you will learn what you need to learn by doing it!

With love,

Angela