Hello friends,
It’s been quite a while from the last time I wrote on this account. You see you get serious in life and that’s where you loose areas where you should be focusing otherwise. Anyways, I got my lessons and now I think I am willing and prepared to get back to where I left.
So here would be my journey of documenting my thoughts weekly as an act of getting myself consistent and disciplined on this writing journey. In the process, I am hopeful to share ideas and insights that would be helpful to the reader community.
A tiny snippet that I want to touch base on is regarding information black hole that we often counter in our daily life. Well it sounds technical , but hold on it isn’t.
A black hole in literal term means a region of spacetime wherein gravity is so strong that even the light can’t escape. To put it simply, its that maze where you aren’t able to see the way ahead. Such is also the case with information management in human brain.
Lack of information puzzles you , while a plethora of information paralyzes you. The former seems like a challenge to encounter and the latter feels like a dead end. Both of it doesn’t give you a probable sense of direction that would help you navigate the tunnel.
It’s the same equation that dwells in a beginner and an expert mindset. For the beginner the biggest challenge is dealing with the internal fear , whereas for an expert it is the dilemma of novelty.
What’s required to deal with this is to be in a moderate position between dearth and abundance. The approach should be to see it with a sense of play rather than a sense of achievement. Now you may ask why?
Whenever we do something with the expectation to achieve a certain outcome, over time it becomes an obligation which stresses oneself personally. In this scenario, the illusion of fear becomes greater than the fear itself and that restricts our mind to take action because we start to believe we don’t stand a choice.
So what is this moderate position I am talking about?
It’s embracing the amateur mindset throughout the journey. An amateur lacks formal training but they make it a point to always be open to learn, no matter the outcome is success or failure. More than knowledge they harbor curiosity, more than judgement they value acceptance, more than fear they pursue joy.
In the times we live in, the shelf life of being relevant is always on the lower side. This stands true for everyone in the professional, social and business world. The best way isn’t to slog or stay strongly opinionated but to be flexible and adaptive. That’s exactly what an amateur does.
If you feel you lack enough to start, or if you feel you know everything hence people should come to you, you are bound to fail in both circumstances. Most people are either stuck in the loop of perfection and ego. Both of these attributes aren’t healthy to start or sustain any art/activity. One needs to let go of the perceived identity to become what’s not assumed. Give this a thought.
In the words of Ann Handley, “Be an amateur first. Not everything you do, has to be good, especially at first”.
Starting fresh on a blank piece of paper is a gift and maneuvering an amateur mindset pushes you to embrace the same.
This is one of the pieces that I learned from the book ‘Show your work’ by Austin Kleon, that I would recommend giving it a read. The emphasis should always be about the pursuit of action and not the pursuit of outcome.
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Stay tuned for more.
