Why a beginner’s mindset is the key to sustained growth and development.
When a student enters the dojo to practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time, they are instructed to recognize their current feeling of humility. The student fully knows that she does not have the ability to match up against a more skilled opponent; this is apparent. Great teachers then tell the student that every day they enter the dojo, for the rest of their lives, they need to have this exact same feeling of humility and willingness to learn.
Even when you are a black belt, you still enter the dojo with a white belt mentality.
The white belt mentality opens your mind to learning. The white belt mentality humbles, and reminds you that you always have more to know. The white belt mentality makes you a devastating opponent because you’re always seeking knowledge and never above learning more to add to your toolkit.
I saw this myself in special operations.
My first day of marksmanship on the range, I couldn’t wait to try one of the hyper-specialized rifles used exclusively by operators: complete with scopes that peered through the night, silencers to mask the muzzle flash and conceal your position, and extended receivers critical for increasing accuracy. I’m no gun fanatic - it was merely my tool of the trade, and I took pride in the pursuit of excellence. I walked up to the arms room, ready as ever.
I got handed a bare bones rifle - the same one I used in basic training.
Huh? Was this a joke? Where was my cool gear?
The instructor, a man who looked more like a cartoonish Greek god than a human (“cut like a loser in a Tijuana knife fight” was how a friend described him), explained when we arrived at the range: “gentlemen, you will learn to master the most basic skills and fundamentals because otherwise you’re just shooting a cannon from a canoe.”
Every day we stepped onto that range, we focused on the basics.
No cool guy stuff.
No acrobatic nonsense.
We just hammered the basics: over and over and over and over and over and over.
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When I saw Zeneca’s 30 Days of NFTs, I immediately signed up.
The course is explicitly designed “with the beginner in mind.” While I don’t consider myself a beginner in NFTs, I aspire to never reach a point where I believe a course for beginners is not worth my time. Furthermore, I’ve always found Zeneca to be a genuine and thoughtful person, striving to do what is right.
Don’t we need more of that in our community?
I hope this course provides a trustworthy, simple, and easy-to-understand flow for onboarding new users into web3. As for me, I’m signing up to support and learn myself, because I can always learn more.
White belt mentality.
Now and always.
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DISCLAIMER: The content posted here does not, and is not intended to, constitute financial advice. Readers should work with a financial advisor to determine whether cryptocurrencies and NFTs are applicable to or appropriate for their particular situation.
Furthermore, there are risks involved in making any investment in cryptocurrencies/NFTs. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific person, and that includes you, my dear reader. Caveat lector!