The benefits of being a beginner at something, again

It’s summer. No school. Free time to lie in the grass, look at the clouds, do nothing.

Alas. I’m a student to the core. When I was a kid and school was out, what game did I play? “School.” I always had my head in a book. And I’m still doing it, these days with my head in the computer.

I signed up for an 30-day online course in a field I’d never really known much about before. Daily writing assignments on a self-chosen project. The lingo is new. The concepts are foreign. The learning curve is huge.

I’m overwhelmed, desperately trying to keep up. I find I may spend up to a three hours a day — far more than the course “advertised.” Right after I submit an assignment, boom, my computer announces a new email with the next one. My thinking feels mushy and my writing is awful in this new field.

And I’m loving it.

Years ago, a top-notch software executive told me that he was taking up the guitar. He admitted he was wretched at it, but he was thoroughly enjoying it — not only because he is a guitar fan, but because it forced him to be a beginner.

“And that,” he said, “is what I have to remember in my job — not everyone knows what I know and so I shouldn’t get frustrated if they’re not up with me. I have to remember what it feels like to be a beginner myself. Therefore, guitar lessons.”

I like that philosophy and have used in myself for years. When I find I’m in a rut, perhaps not challenged as much as I should be, I find some course or some new skill to learn, dive in and relish being “a beginner.” I’ve got nothing to prove and figure that I can learn from experts who are — thank you thank you — willing to teach those of us who want to learn.

And, since for some of us summer has a little different rhythm, why not try out something new, just for a couple of months?

My list is endless, from petroglyphs in the Snake River to how stained glass windows are made.

What might your beginner skill be?

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 3:20 PM with the headline "The benefits of being a beginner at something, again."