The Courage to Begin

Has there ever been a skill or activity that you were interested in but decided against trying because you felt that you didn’t have the ability to master it or were worried about failing? Perhaps, you commenced and stopped after the first few attempts because the progress that you made seems disappointing compared to the others who have already mastered it or had a stronger foundation to build upon. I’ve found myself in this situation more often than I would like to admit. 

I recently observed a group of 9 year-olds learning the ukulele at my church’s Sabbath School and I was excited to see the young learners being willing to try and persevering. For some of them their progress was just holding the instrument correctly, for others it was strumming to a beat and a few were confidently playing the chords and even adding a chuck. I had previously attempted to learn a stringed instrument and gave up after one lesson. I felt that I’d never learn to move my fingers into the awkward positions quickly, unlike others who I thought had the natural ability and made it look easy. I was guilty of having a fixed mindset and had fallen into the trap of comparing my ability as a beginner against others who had put in years of hard work and persevered through doubts, frustrations and many errors as they’d dedicated hours of regular practice in mastering their skills. 

Learning can be an exciting journey when approached with the mindset that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and perseverance. When we embrace this perspective, we see challenges as opportunities to grow rather than insurmountable obstacles. This outlook encourages resilience, helping us to push through difficult topics with the understanding that mastery comes over time, not instantly. 

The fear of failure or making mistakes can hold us back from engaging in the learning process. When mistakes are seen as signs of inadequacy rather than steps toward improvement, we may avoid trying new things altogether or giving up too quickly. 

My encouragement as we reflect upon a year of learning and will soon embark on another is for us to reframe mistakes, failure and frustration as an essential part of learning. When focus more on our effort, progress, and view errors as feedback to help us improve, we will feel safer to try, explore and persevere.

I ended up purchasing a ukulele and have once again found it challenging. This time, though, I’ve persevered and watched many videos on how to master the basic skills and have spent hours practising chord changes. Whilst I’m still very much a beginner, I can see the progress that I’ve made and have had a great time learning. Is there something you’ve been wanting to try?

Mr Stephen Kang
Secondary Maths Coordinator