Sucking

Sucking.

This is something that many of us, well, most of us avoid with a passion.

We have been conditioned from a young age to always give off the heir of having it all together. We've been encouraged to pursue excellence and to do things with expertise.

However, I think so often we forget that before we can be experts, we must be willing to SUCK.

Why is it that the older we get, the harder it is to learn new things? Why is it that, as the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Well, I believe it's multifaceted.

First, the older we get the more conscious we are and more sensitive we are to making fools of ourselves. We are embarrassed to fail and look stupid. So when something is unfamiliar, or unknown to us, most of us err on the side of avoiding it completely, for the fear of being made the fool.

Second, the older we get, the more we learn and the less we're able to just absorb. It's in a way the way we're designed. As we learn new things we connect and compare the new things with things we already know about. However, sometimes, when we get new information and it doesn't seem to fit with what we've learned and understood to be truth in the past, we tend to just reject it or deny its validity without really checking whether this is something of worth to take in.

Third, expectations. This is slightly connected to the first facet. We have expectations on ourselves to know certain things and to behave in certain ways. And others have expectations on us as well. And we have been conditioned to not disappoint.

Fourth, we are unwilling to risk and experiment. We are all very self-preserving and avoid pain as much as possible. We don't like to take chances.

Take for example, a baby. Why are babies and young children able to learn languages so fast? Because, First, they're not afraid to look stupid. They don't even think about it. Do you think that a kid cares that it said, "APPO" instead of "APPLE?" "FF" instead of "RUTH?" No! Second, they have nothing to compare things to. So really they are just absorbing. They're not constantly rejecting things based on what they "THINK" they know. Because they don't know anything. Have you ever noticed how gullible kids are? Third, there are no expectations. Adults don't expect kids to know how to do anything. People expect kids to fall down and look stupid. And they laugh it off. It's not a big deal. So kids are free to make mistakes and learn as they go. And they learn quickly as a result. Fourth, kids are curious. They explore, they use their imagination. They are more willing to risk because they haven't quite learned the idea of self-preservation yet.

I think what it all boils down to is your willingness to let your guard down, to look stupid, to be the fool. Because you know what? We won't always stay there.

Is there something you've always wanted to try, but just never dared? WELL, DO IT!

Accept the fact that you are going to SUCK. That you might look stupid or sound stupid or whatever for awhile. But THAT is a natural part of the process.

The key is to work past that. Practice, figure out how to improve, take lessons.

You will move from SUCKING to SUCKING LESS to eventually SHINING!

But you must be willing to step out and be the fool.

So GO AHEAD. GET OUT THERE AND SUCK!