Being An Amateur Gives You An Unmistakable Advantage
“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment. ”
The last thing any of us want to be known as is an amateur. I get rip-out-your-hair frustrated when I don't pick up something near immediately. It comes back to my days in school of not wanting to look stupid or feeling like a clueless idiot. That's until I learned being an amateur leads to endless possibilities.
Being an amateur is something nearly everyone avoids like the plague. Who the hell wants a "learning to drive" label slapped on your forehead for everyone to see?
If you adopt this belief and the self-defeating feelings that come with it, you'll never pursue things outside your comfort zone. Which just so happens to contain everything you ever wanted for your life. And this is where the soul-crushing problem of holding that belief comes into play.
In author Austin Kleon's New York Times bestseller Show Your Work! he digs into why this belief is not just wrong, it couldn't be further from the truth.
"We're all terrified of being revealed as amateurs, but in fact, today it is the amateur — the enthusiast who pursues her work in the spirit of love, regardless of the potential for fame, money, or career — who often has the advantage over the professional."
That thought feels more like a cliff-hanger that casts serious doubt whether being an amateur can be an advantage. The obvious obstacle of being someone who doesn't have it all figured out stands in our way of seeing Kleon's point. And that right there is exactly why we need to shift our perspective.
"Because they have little to lose, amateurs are willing to try anything and share the results. They take chances, experiment, and follow their whims. Sometimes, in the process of doing things in an unprofessional way, they make new discoveries."
Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing.
That's why I continue to ship a blog piece every week. I can only get better if I put something out into the world. It's in the act of creating that your confidence grows legs. But here's the secret, life is more fun when you continue seeing yourself as an amateur because it carries a mindset of lifelong learning. Charlie Chaplin, one of the most revered movie actors ever shared a wonderful reminder, "That's all any of us are: amateurs. We don't live long enough to be anything else."
With the speed at which the world is changing, being an amateur is unavoidable.
It turns out as Kleon found, "the best way to flourish is to retain an amateur's spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown." This speaks to what Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke shared when he was asked what his greatest strength was, "That I don't know what I'm doing."Next time you find yourself feeling like life is a bit too comfortable, boring or you're just going through the motions, try something new. Think about what you want to learn, share your work and make a commitment to learning it in front of others.
Mike McGill and Steve Caballero talk about the early days when they were still amateur skateboarders just happy to be skating.
Why do we put off decisions that could give us a better future? I've been at that crossroads many times in my life. Whether it was a decision to start my own business, launch a podcast or even ask my partner to marry me. I knew all three of these decisions would give me a better life. But in the back of my head, all I could think about is what if I ended up being a colossal failure?