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"It sounds like you're unwilling to ride through the phase of uneasiness, of I-don't-know-how-to-do-anything-with-this-stupid-new-tool, of feeling dumb and clum
by confusedgeek 11y ago
"It sounds like you're unwilling to ride through the phase of uneasiness, of I-don't-know-how-to-do-anything-with-this-stupid-new-tool, of feeling dumb and clumsy, for long enough to become proficient. Look, I don't like having to do that, either."
Many thanks for this - this is a great analysis, followed by just the reminder I needed. With this in mind, I will force myself to learn a couple of new things. I guess if I do that often enough, I'll have enough data-points to prove to myself that something that was once unknown and made me feel dumb can become a power tool.
- chrisbennet 11y agoI'm not saying you shouldn't force yourself out of your comfort zone, but perhaps you could try this: Find a fun problem and solve it with the new tech/language you are trying to learn. It a lot easier when "fun" drives your efforts instead of forcing yourself to do something. As for feeling dumb when learning new things; you may have to accept that no amount of experience/data point will let you "prove to yourself" that you will be good at a new challenge. My software engineer/wife/best friend pretty much rocks at every job she's worked at. I've lost track of how many times she's told me "I don't know if I can do this job." when she starts a new job. She's been going through this cycle of new job=>self doubt=>mastery multiple times for over 2 decades and she still feels that way. Apparently, no amount of data points will dispel that feeling for some people.