When we first engage with something new, we lack the experience and practical wisdom long-term practitioners have.
We don’t have a solid strategy we can rely on.
We don’t have deep expertise (the kind that’s built through practice).
We may not even have a solid grounding in how things should be done.
In most cases, we don’t need these things to begin.
Assuming that we’re taking appropriate initial action & avoiding catastrophic downside risk, the process of improvement – of gaining these qualities of knowledge, experience, and reliable understanding – is as simple as setting aside our ego and putting the work in.
With all that said:
We’re rarely starting from scratch. And if we are, it’s by choice.
Whatever we’re trying to do – someone, somewhere, somehow has probably done it before.
When it’s our turn to make the journey, we have two choices.
We can simply begin, paying no need to preparation…
Or we can spend some time improving our abilities, forming our plan, proactively solving those future obstacles and equipping ourselves for the stresses of the road before we set out.
Which of these approaches is better?
Which one empowers us, and which one weakens us?
There’s no universal answer. Only one that’s useful in the moment.
But few people are flexible enough to adjust their approach depending on the task at hand.
We have natural tendencies one way or another.
Some of us prepare. Some of us jump right in. Neither is the perfect answer, but we defend our selection through conscious affirmation and subconscious adherence.
Conventional wisdom says that striking the right balance is as much about correcting these tendencies as it is about trying to figure out what the situation in front of us calls for.
For planners that plan too much & too often, the answer they seek usually isn’t found through more planning.
It’s found by taking action – even if they don’t feel ready to do so.
For those who eschew preparation & prefer to learn on the fly, the answer isn’t to take bolder, more decisive action.
It’s to pull back, reflect and think before beginning… even if it feels like a waste of time.
Easier said than done, of course. And not without its drawbacks. For every rule, there’s an exception or two we can readily call to mind to override its relevance. Which leads to a final point…
If our natural tendencies push us one way or another, is there a way we can harness that to our advantage?
Can we place ourselves in situations where our inclinations are an advantage instead of a drawback?
The more often we can put ourselves in situations where our default ways of being serve us (rather than hindering us), the better.
Because all that energy we’d otherwise spend on leaning out can be put to its highest use:
Leaning in.
Embracing the experience for what it’s worth.
Leveraging our unique characteristics to progress towards a goal we truly care about.