I'm a bit suspicious of people who call me a noob when I'm learning something. Its too often a pejorative as if from on high. As if they were never a beginner.

I'm a bit suspicious of people who call me a noob when I'm learning something. Its too often a pejorative as if from on high. As if they were never a beginner. But its a lie. They were once a beginner. And they themselves have probably plateaued. To me its as bad as them bragging about their being a perfectionist. I don't appreciate perfectionism either because they tend to never finish anything. If being a noob is shameful then becoming good and then later an expert is made much more difficult than it should be. Mistakes and failures are also seen as shameful and must be hidden. If you can't be open about making mistakes and learning from them then you're more likely surrounded by idiots or jerks. Failure is part of learning. So if you aren't failing at what you're doing right now in some way, to some degree, then its not challenging enough for you. That is fine because sometimes the job needs to be done right because you're doing the performance. But if you aren't pushing hard into a space where mistakes and failures are actually possible then your goals aren't big enough. Likely stagnating. A stagnating expert is someone who is afraid of the next level. They are afraid of becoming a beginner again. Afraid perhaps to even get into the practice nets and practice batting or throwing. Afraid to practice scales or try some hard piece they've never played.