“Never stop learning.” Something we all know we’re supposed to be doing.. but are we really? We get comfortable with what we are good at and we try to build on that. Don’t get me wrong, that is important but to really grow, we need to get uncomfortable.
The one thing rarely said about learning is how uncomfortable it is. It really is. You will suck the first couple of times, you will feel it in the pit of your stomach, and you will think you are a failure. Well, you’re not. Don’t you think Steve Jobs or Bill Gates sucked before the history books thought of writing about them?
It’s very easy to get swept up with the barrage of “9 things successful people do every morning” articles and take them as easy enough guides for our paths to success.. I know I have.. but what those articles never show is how the Elon Musks of this world got to being successful. The painful ‘sucking’ that had to happen first. And the sheer determination, will power, and opening yourself up to failure to break free from it.
Take the example of going to the gym. It’s not about that first day. It’s about the 20 more to create a habit. But that first day you will suck. You will look around at the weights, probably try a treadmill, or even just stick to the cycle machine. But eventually, you’ll find a rhythm. You’ll feel in place. But it shall take time.
At the end of the day, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, to suck. One day you will be good at it. And maybe, just maybe, if you keep at it long enough, great.
No one was born awesome at everything. So never stop learning. Never stop being vulnerable. And let yourself suck when you start.
BONUS: Peter Dinklage 2012 Commencement Speech — in under 2 minutes
Photo is "Stairs" by Fotari70DX