Being Willing To Admit That I Have A Long Way To Go

If your understanding of yourself is that you are very good at some endeavor, believe it or not, it can possibly work against you.  This understanding worked against me when I was a young man.

At a certain point in my late teens, I began to see myself as very accomplished at playing the guitar.  It was true that I had some ability but I was far, far, far from being as accomplished as I wanted to believe I was.

However, in order to “protect” my own view that I was very good, I wound up avoiding situations in which it would be obvious to others and obvious to myself that I still had a lot to learn.  That was too bad because the result of avoiding those situations was that I avoided important learning and growing opportunities.  They were opportunities that would have humbled me but in the long run I would have made better progress in the development of the skill.

If you’re thinking, “Hmm, it sounds like pride was part of the problem.”

You’re right.

I’m now convinced that it would have been much more helpful to have an attitude like this:  I have some ability but I know that there is much more for me to learn.  I’m willing to make some mistakes in front of others in order to grow.  I’m willing to submit to further instruction.  I’m willing to ask for help from others and learn from others who I want to consider equals but actually they are more accomplished than me.

What I’ve written in the previous paragraph is the humble, willing-to-learn attitude that I wish I would have had as a young man.  I’m not a teen anymore.  I can’t go back and change that reality.  But I believe the humble, willing-to-learn attitude can still benefit me at this age. 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”  1 Peter 5:6