Feeling Stupid

I've been feeling silly recently while tackling my computer science projects, it is harder than it seems -there is too much that I don't know and tutorials expect me to know so much beforehand.

I talked about The Dip before, and how it affects our performance and perception of ourselves, and I have a personal success example using the principles of the Dip. Things were not going well, but I kept doing it anyway, and then it worked.

When I picked up the piano, I just wanted to enjoy it, so when I messed up it didn't matter, I played every day, and I didn't take failure personally. Suddenly, I became a "piano player" that is confident to play in front of people and improvise and jam.

I was aware that there is a ton that I didn't know but I didn't care, and it worked, although I wasn't trying. Therefore, I know that this mentality of dealing with learning works. It worked when I was learning Photoshop and percussion as well.

1. Enjoy the journey
2. Don't care about failure
3. Don't get intimidated by how little you know
4. Enjoy the success (that is almost accidental)

It has been different with computer science because I strongly identify with it because I want to be good at it, because I take failure personally. But that seems to slow me down. While trying to become a pro, I forgot that -most importantly- I should feel like an amateur.

A good pro:
"The professional is there seven days a week. The word amateur comes from the Latin root meaning 'to love.' The conventional interpretation is that the amateur pursues his calling out of love, while the pro does it for money. Not the way I see it. In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his 'real' vocation. The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time. That’s what I mean when I say turning pro." -Steven Pressfield

A bad pro:
As Og Mandino describes, "man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously," perhaps that is the situation we need to avoid.

The antidote?: "Laugh at yourself" - Og Mandino

🎧 Song: Fly Me to the Moon

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Have a meaningful week ✨,
Laith