Advice for Beginners

I asked an Amiga – Tiffany Joh, who happens to be a second year pro on the LPGA tour, and our newest fastest learner ever – if she had any advice for others. She didn’t have an answer on the spot, but sent us an email after she got home and had a chance to think about it a bit. I love advice and think she nailed it with these suggestions…

sj volcano

Holly– the last night you asked me if I had any “beginner awesomeness” advice, and I was kind of caught off-guard; no one’s really asked me a question like that before.  I mean, let’s face it, If I get up in the morning and remember to put on underwear, it’s a pretty good day for me.

But on the flight back home, I was reflecting on my week and I DID realize one thing I learned over the course of the retreat: How to truly relish the experience of being a beginner.

If most people are like me, they like to stick to their strengths.  It’s a lot easier on the ego and no one really enjoys being the “kook” in any situation, especially as you get older;  I feel like I’ve always been in a rush to grow out of the novice stage, but honestly, isn’t being a beginner the coolest part?  And even as we get better at something, isn’t it beneficial to still have that beginner mindset?

sj gallop

This week was a week of firsts for me.  Not just with the surfing, but horseback riding, doing a headstand, volcano boarding, and (cough) Mojitos…and every day I felt like I was learning something new and climbing a steep learning curve.  If we went into every experience with the humility and “froth” of a beginner, imagine how much less critical of ourselves we’d be and how much more fun we’d have.

So that’s my revised answer to the question.   Leave your ego at the airport, lean into your weaknesses, and savor the process of getting better.

Dale Pues!

xx Sloppy Joh (aka Tiffany)

sj bomb right