Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.
— Muhammad Ali
We come into this world as blank slates; everything is unknown. We learn by exploration; like sponges, we absorb the stimuli and data in this new reality. Not yet corrupted by the fear of doing wrong, we venture forward, eager to understand.
Have you ever watched a baby exploring, putting whatever is within reach in their mouths, or a child with a new electronic? If they don’t know how to use it, they hit all the buttons and see what happens. With each button hit, they gain experience in how it works. Unfortunately, as adults, we become more hesitant, tentatively pushing the buttons for fear of screwing something up.
With failure looming over our heads, many fear making mistakes and struggle to get out of their comfort zone.
But what if nothing is a wrong move? What if our so-called mistakes and bad choices were exactly what we needed at the time for our growth? We can allow our fears to cripple us into stagnation. Yet, if we turn the table on how we look at the fear of starting, we can change the fear into a motivation to become more. Embracing this change can open up a new reality of opportunities.
Without failing, we stop learning.
Surprisingly, the fear of failure contributes to cognitive decline, so to stay youthful, we must continue to fail. Letting go of the idea that failure is terrible will keep us young.
Recent studies of the brain’s anatomy revealed that the adult brain is far more capable of learning than once thought. Keeping the plasticity of our brains is essential to release the vital neurotransmitters and hormones necessary to promote healthy brain cells. Old dogs can learn new tricks.
This leads to the fact that to age into the youthful adults we yearn to be, we must embrace the unknown and welcome defeat to grow. The more we practice taking risks, the further we expand ourselves.
Moving out of our comfort zones, we enter an environment of personal growth.
Benefits of Exploring New Things
It stimulates our brains, keeping us youthful.
The more interested we are in the world, the more attractive we become.
Learning new things keeps us curious, preventing us from becoming bored with ourselves and others.
Curiosity is sexy.
It broadens our horizons and may expose us to things we may find enjoyable that we didn’t know existed.
It teaches us to overcome our fears and implement courage with an “I can” attitude.
It’s rewarding. It provides us with a sense of accomplishment.
The more we embrace the unknown, the more we become tolerant of differences.
It shows those younger that there is never a time to quit learning.
We are never handed anything we cannot handle; even if we think we cannot, we can. I am obsessed with documentaries of people doing extraordinary things. It is inspirational even when not within my interests; I am fascinated with what people are driven to accomplish. When we are open to new ideas, expanding our minds is infinite.
A strategy for pushing out of our comfort zones and exploring what is uncomfortable is surrounding ourselves with those doing what we want to do. Find subjects or activities that have always interested you. Develop a circle of friends that will support your dreams, and if you don’t succeed at first, they will usher you to give it another go.
The gratification of starting a daunting activity most often outweighs the fear of doing it. Yet, we will never experience that joy until we leap into the unknown of doing. Our mental boundaries are the only thing between starting or staying the same.
Once we take our egos away from being a beginner, we will find the satisfaction and humor of the adventure. When we have no expectations, inexperience sometimes brings great success; beginners’ luck is real.
So, if you’re ready to shake up your reality, get a move on. What makes your blood flow, what spikes your adrenaline, or what have you yearned to try your whole life? The worst that can happen is you decide it wasn’t for you, but the alternative is an entire universe of potential. Nothing worth having is easy. How far are you willing to go to reach your greatness?
Fear and anxiety many times indicate that we are moving in a positive direction,out of the safe confines of our comfort zone,and in the direction of our true purpose.
