Wisdom Wednesday #8 - We All Start Somewhere

No one is an expert day one. Period. No matter the skill or subject matter, mastery takes time and effort to work towards. Think back to the first time you tried something out—whether it was riding a bike, swimming, giving a speech, or any other skill. How many times did you stumble before you found your balance?

That is the beauty of learning—the fact that it is messy, unpredictable, and full of trial and error. Even through its labyrinthine twists, every stumble on the bicycle is a step closer to achieving perfect balance. With every failure, you gain confidence and the motivation to keep striving forward until you succeed at the task at hand.

It’s so easy to look at someone successful in their craft and think, “I could never be that good” or “They’ve always known what to do.” But what we don’t see is the effort behind the surface—the hours of work, the failures, and the moments of doubt that shaped them. Any great virtuoso dedicated years of practice to reach their level of mastery. Even the most skilled maestro started at a place far below where they ultimately finished.

This mindset of self-doubt often comes from expecting perfection right away or unfairly comparing your progress to someone else’s. Though it’s difficult, allow yourself to be a beginner and focus on small, consistent improvements. Striving to be the best isn’t inherently bad—as long as you approach it realistically and avoid burning yourself out. Celebrate the small wins: the moments where you learn something new, make incremental progress, or simply show up. Each step forward, no matter how small, means you’re better than you were before.

Always remember that you don’t need to be the best today, tomorrow, or even a year from now. What matters is that you’re trying, improving, and allowing yourself room to grow. Success is a journey and each new step brings you closer to your end goal.

I’ve had my own moments of doubt and frustration, but looking back, those moments of struggle have been some of my greatest teachers. I will never forget the first time I bowled at a competitive level. It was 2022 summer, and my dad and I signed up for this youth-adult cooperative league where we tried competing for first out of some 50 teams. I was very nervous and afraid of what people thought of me. I looked to the left and saw a guy throw the ball with such elegance, precision, and power down the lane and effortlessly striking. To my right, I saw some kids a few years older than me throwing the ball amazingly. And then there was me—a beginner who hadn’t practiced in two months. That game, I ended up shooting a 75. To put it into perspective, that was the lowest game I had shot in months, as I was comfortably averaging around 130. I felt beyond embarrassed, but there was something about the competition that allured me and brought me back every week after that. Over time, with practice and patience, my dad and I rallied up the leaderboard and ended up finishing first out of everyone, winning us $800.

Retrospectively, the low games I shot weren’t failures—they were stepping stones. I learned from every mistake and that kept me motivated. That’s the same process we all go through when trying something knew. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about striving for improvement.

No matter where you may be in your journey, just remember to give yourself some grace. Keep showing up, keep learning, and keep taking those small steps forward. One day, you will realize how far you have come and appreciate that you ended up taking that next step. Progress is the ultimate success.

- Jaime Paladi, Public Relations
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