Hei Hei! So last week I wrapped up my language classes. Jeg snakker litt Norsk.
My classes were 90 minutes, twice a week and to be honest I didn’t always look forward to them and may not have shown up as my “best self”.I felt silly, insecure, was wrong 80% of the time (generous figure) and didn’t exactly click with my teacher. He didn’t seem to appreciate my humor. Can you imagine?
Besides learning enough Norwegian to make myself dangerous,here is one of my biggest takeaways.
If you’re afraid to look silly or dumb, you’ll never grow.
I swear four months in and I still could not pronounce basic words right or remember what exactly "present perfect" meant.
I would get anxious and nervous heading into class because I knew I would fumble through most of it, saying things wrong that a three-year old Norwegian could master. I didn't want to be wrong or look silly but for 180 minutes a week that's exactly what I did. I fought it for awhile but realized that I shouldn't know Norwegian and this should be challenging. I am learning something brand new that went against 40 years of learning.
Once I released my ego, it all shifted and I started to enjoy my classes and learn more too. It started to flow and I took the pressure off understanding that the ONLY way I would learn was to risk looking silly or dumb. I had so much fun after and still am. I am still wrong and feel silly speaking it but that's no longer my focus.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid of feeling dumb or silly or insecure?
Is it something small like learning a new sport or hobby or is it a career change?
Is feeling silly or insecure a good enough reason to not go after this?
That’s a question only you can answer. Let me know how I can support you in this!
Husk at jeg har rot for deg!
