The Confidence to Be a Beginner Again

Mary-Lynn: 00:00:01

On this episode of The BIGG Success Show, the confidence to be a beginner again.

BIGG Voice Guy: 00:00:08

BIGG Success with The Professor and Mary-Lynn.

George: 00:00:14

In my role as a professor, I spend a lot of time around beginners.

Every semester, students walk into my classroom to learn things they don't already know.

They ask questions, they make mistakes, they get answers wrong.

And we expect that they're learning.

But as every true learner comes to know, something changes as we become successful, we get used to knowing what we're doing.

We build expertise.

People come to us for answers.

We earn credentials, titles, clients, promotions, or simply a reputation for being good at doing what you do.

Mary-Lynn: 00:00:47

Then an interesting opportunity comes along.

A new technology, a different career, a business idea, a creative pursuit or a new role.

And you're intrigued.

But there's just one problem...you won't be very good at it at first.

George: 00:01:02

Once you're known for being competent, voluntarily stepping into a new place where you aren't can feel surprisingly risky.

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:10

Learning expert Eduardo Briceño, author of the Performance Zone, describes the difference between the performance zone, where we use abilities we've already developed to produce results, and the learning zone, where we experiment, make mistakes, get feedback, and improve.

George: 00:01:25

The performance zone helps us succeed today.

The learning zone helps us get better for tomorrow.

And successful people need both.

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:33

Welcome to The BIGG Success Show where we help you create the life you want.

Hi, I'm Mary-Lynn.

George: 00:01:39

And I'm George, The Professor.

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:40

So here's our question for today:

Have you become so comfortable being good at what you do that you're afraid to be a beginner again?

Or asked another way, are you willing to be bad at something new long enough to get good at it?

George: 00:01:55

I'm perfectly willing to be bad enough.

I don't think I've ever heard those two words put together before.

Bad enough, bad enough.

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:03

That's good enough for our show!

In this episode we're going to explore: How to choose where becoming a beginner is worth it;

Why small experiments make starting easier, how to turn beginner mistakes into useful learning;

And when to expand a new skill into a bigger opportunity.

We're going to start with four steps to becoming a beginner with confidence.

Those steps are choose, experiment, learn, and expand.

So Step One: Choose. Make sure it's worth learning.

George: 00:02:34

You don't have enough time to become a beginner at everything that interests you.

So when something new catches your attention, ask yourself, "If I become good at this, would it meaningfully improve the life that I want to live?"

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:47

Yeah, maybe it could increase your income or open a new career path.

Perhaps it could help your business, improve your health, strengthen an important relationship, or give you a creative outlet you've always wanted.

The answer gives you a reason to tolerate the discomfort of being new.

It also explains why having a life map is so valuable.

When you know where you want to go personally, professionally, and financially, opportunities become easier to evaluate.

You can ask whether this new skill moves you toward the life you want or simply distracts you from it.

Learn more about the Big Success Life Map at LifeMapCourse.com

George: 00:03:21

Researcher Eric Dane has written about cognitive entrenchment, how deep expertise can sometimes make us less flexible in our thinking.

Experience is an enormous asset, but yesterday's expertise can become a limitation today if we refuse to add anything new to it.

So choose carefully and then give yourself permission to begin.

Mary-Lynn: 00:03:46

Today we're sharing four steps to becoming a beginner with confidence.

We're on to Step Two: Experiment. Make the first step smaller.

We often make becoming a beginner harder than necessary.

You're interested in entrepreneurship and suddenly you're asking whether you should quit your job.

You want to write, and you're already thinking about publishing a book.

You're curious about a new career, and you imagine starting your entire professional life over.

That is a lot of pressure that you're just putting on curiosity!

George: 00:04:16

Instead, try asking, "What small experiment could help me learn whether this deserves more of my time?"

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:22

factor we discuss in Episode #: 1202

To experiment with small steps, do things like freelancing before starting a company.

Publish a few articles before writing a book.

Volunteer for a project before completely changing careers.

Try a new technology and take on one task before changing your whole workflow.

George: 00:04:48

Small experiments give you real information without requiring a huge commitment.

They also give you something that successful people often need a protected place to be bad.

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:59

So you seem to like saying that.

Yeah.

Practice before you perform.

Test before you launch.

George: 00:05:05

Try before you announce your first attempt at something new.

Doesn't have to meet the standards of something you've practiced for 20 years.

Give yourself room to be unimpressive for a while and Mary-Lynn I think I've got that one down.

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:21

No sir, you don't.

All right, Step Three of four to becoming a beginner with confidence: Learn.

Stop turning results into identity.

George: 00:05:32

And then here comes the uncomfortable part.

You try the thing and you're bad at it.

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:38

Welcome to learning and learning to give yourself grace.

George: 00:05:42

That's right.

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:43

This is where accomplished people sometimes get tripped up.

Because we'll take one poor result and make it all personal.

"I am terrible at this."

Or, "I'm too old for this."

Or, "Oh no, I've lost it! I just don't have that talent anymore."

George: 00:05:58

To get over this ask, "What did this attempt teach me?"

Maybe you need more practice, better instruction, a different approach, or a smaller next step.

Or perhaps you discover that this opportunity really just isn't right for you.

That's useful information, too.

A poor first attempt tells you very little about what your 100th attempt could look like.

Mary-Lynn: 00:06:19

This gives you an opportunity to redefine confidence.

Confidence doesn't have to mean I know I'll be good at this.

Instead, it tells you I trust myself to learn.

George: 00:06:30

And that kind of confidence travels with you.

You can ask questions, get help, practice, accept feedback, adjust, improve.

You don't need certainty before you move forward.

Mary-Lynn: 00:06:42

And that brings us to Step Four, to becoming a beginner with confidence: Expand.

Combine the new with with what you already know.

Something interesting happens if you stay with the process.

Eventually, you're not quite such a beginner anymore!

George: 00:06:57

So now ask, "What could this new capability make possible?"

New skills become especially powerful when combined with old expertise.

Mary-Lynn: 00:07:06

Here's what that looks like...

An experienced professional who learns AI becomes an experienced professional with a powerful new tool.

A subject matter expert who learns video gains a new way to share that expertise.

Or an employee who learns entrepreneurship may begin seeing business opportunities in problems they've observed for years.

George: 00:07:26

Your previous experience doesn't disappear when you become a beginner.

You add to it.

And sometimes that combination opens a door that you couldn't have seen before.

Mary-Lynn: 00:07:35

And that's why your Life Map should provide direction without locking you into one route.

As you grow, you learn.

And as you learn, new possibilities appear.

When an experiment shows promise, go deeper and use the four steps of becoming a beginner with confidence.

Choose. Experiment. Learn. Expand.

Then be willing to begin again.

And that brings us to this episode's BIGG Assignment from The Professor.

George: 00:08:04

Create your own Beginner's Permission Slip and answer these four questions:

What is something I would like to learn but have been reluctant to try?

What is something that I have hesitated to do because I'm afraid?

Be specific.

Are you afraid of looking foolish? Wasting time discovering that you aren't naturally good at it? Be sure to include those in your answer.

Next for the next 30 days, what will you give yourself permission to be bad at?

Remember, you're not promising mastery. You're giving yourself permission to learn.

And then, at the end of 30 days, ask yourself, "Did I learn enough to know whether I want to continue?"

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:41

That's another good assignment from The Professor.

And remember, don't judge yourself on how good you became.

Judge the experiment on what you learned.

And now for this episode's BIGG Takeaway.

George: 00:08:53

Success gives you something incredibly valuable.

Competence.

Just don't let competence become a cage.

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:59

The life you want next may require a skill you haven't developed, a question you don't know how to answer, or something you'll be pretty bad at when you start.

George: 00:09:08

So remember, your next level may require giving yourself permission to be a beginner again, and it leads to BIGG success.

Mary-Lynn: 00:09:16

Want more practical ideas for creating the life you want?

Join us at BIGGsuccess.com/Join and get our latest insights delivered right to you.

And let's keep the conversation going.

Find us on all your favorite social media channels at @BIGGsuccess and tell us what you're willing to be a beginner at again.

On our next episode: Think about something you've invested time, energy, or money into. How do you know whether to keep going or finally let it go? That's next time on Big Success.

Follow or subscribe to The BIGG Success Show wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss our next episode.

George: 00:09:53

And thank you very much for listening.

Until next time...

George & Mary-Lynn: 00:09:56

Here's to your BIGG success!

BIGG Voice Guy: 00:09:58

Find BIGG Success at BIGGsuccess.com