Beginner's Luck

Remember the first time you tried at something?

What was the result? 

Were you successful, or did you fail horribly? 

And how did this result affect your desire to try again in the future?

I could go all day with these questions, but a concept known as beginners luck, or natural talent, is known to drastically boost someone's confidence in the future. When at first you succeed, you don't question your initial success, but instead you label yourself as talented. The opposite is true for those who fail initially. These people hardly ever want to try that activity again. This is how society tries to tell us we are either good at something, or not good at something. This is a terrible mindset, because anyone who puts in the right amount of effort into something can be successful in the future.

I'll use my first accounting course as an example here. When I took the course my freshman year of college, I had no trouble getting As on the exams. Sure I studied a bit, but other kids in the class would spend hours trying to learn concepts that came naturally to me. These kids did poorly on the exams, while I did very well. My confidence skyrocketed, and I believed in the idea that I was "skilled" at accounting, while everyone else was "unskilled".

About a year later I started taking upper-level accounting courses. In these classes, I struggled to pass, while my classmates got A's and high B's. 

What happened to me?

I thought I was "skilled"?

The issue was that I wasn't trying quite as hard as I should have. Once I turned it around and starting studying harder, I did much better. That was the issue with me, and that's the issue with so many of us these days. We believe that we're either skilled or unskilled at things, instead of working hard and looking to grow stronger. This is exactly why we quit so early on at things. We quit, because the very first time we try and fail, our minds are convinced that we're not good enough and never will be. 

I know it's the weekend now, but today I want you to jot down at least one thing you're currently not good at. One thing you've thought you can't do well. And I want you to commit yourself to improve in that area within the net few weeks. I want you to work hard and prove that you can grow stronger and your talents aren't set in stone. On the other hand, pick something you're already "good" at. Then I want you to challenge yourself as hard as you can to the point where you're uncomfortable. This will make you even stronger, and much better at these activities, than talent or luck alone.