By 5E Louis Tam

Picking Up Novelties

It’s Not Always the First Try

We humans weren’t born with all the skills and knowledge in the world. It is essential to remind ourselves that all the abilities we have now were once completely novel to us. Recognition of the novel thing we are trying to begin on is imperative to comfortably and effectively mastering it. Just as with our first wobbly steps while as toddlers, we are rarely proficient when we start anything. The obstacles and failures we encounter on our way are never signs that we should give up, but signals that we are on the track towards mastery.

The path towards mastery teems with impediments and hindrances, especially if our journey is an adventure into the unknown. The first few topics of science, for example, are often fundamental concepts presented in a straightforward way to introduce students to the subject, arouse their interest, and stimulate independent learning. After students have grasped the basics, however, more complex and demanding topics, experiments, and reports are introduced. Challenges like these are ubiquitous on our way, and perseverance is required to locate the light at the end of the tunnel. Perseverance teaches us that failure is not the end of the world–there is always time to reevaluate our strategies and approaches, and to take on the challenges once again.

Seek Peers on the Same Journey

Starting something new certainly requires dedication, but you don’t have to face the stress and pressure all alone. There are countless individuals out there on the same journey as you, perhaps sharing the same interests, targets or passions, or struggling against similar difficulties or uncertainties. There is, therefore, always the option to reach out to like-minded peers whether in person or online, and seek advice, encouragement, guidance, and experience. Veterans from these communities were also once novices like us, and this makes them ideal mentors to learn from and listen to.

Sharing our journey helps us to weather our negative thoughts and hardships, and helps others too. Share the challenges and obstacles on your own journey, the methods you used to overcome them, and the lessons you learned. Retrace those baby steps and recall how you made it through. It helps and encourages others on their journey and consolidates our own learning too.

Breaks are as Important as Breakthroughs

Starting something new can be tiring because accomplishments are so distant. Taking breaks is an indispensable ingredient in baking the mastery cake. Pushing our limits can help us reach our goals, but if we push them for too long, it can wear us out, and drain our motivation. So put aside your project for a while, enjoy leisure pastimes, work on another project, the choice is yours. The point is to distract yourself and catch your breath. Taking breaks provides us with a chance to reflect on our progress and look back on how far we have come. Never underestimate the benefit of a time out!

There is Nothing to Stress About

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” As familiar as we are with this adage, we can still feel stressed when we start something new. Rest assured that we have ample time to overcome obstacles, many people out there will be going through the same journey as us, and that resting can keep us motivated and moving towards success. The start is often the hardest part of a journey, but once you make it through the hardships of the beginning, it might just be smooth sailing from there on.