Beginner’s mind

The pursuit of more leads to better outcomes than the pursuit of perfection, ironically.

Beginner’s mind

I think Ali Abdaal alluded to a similar story in one of his newsletters, but I really like this version: basically a true story where there was this photography class whereby the teacher split the class into two groups. The end goal was for both of these groups to take the best picture. The first group was told to take as many pictures as they could. The second group was told to take only the absolute best pictures.

At the end, the first group got lots of time to experiment and play with light and angles and etc. In the end, when compared, the first group that got to experiment with sheer quantity had a vastly superior final photo than anyone from the other group.

I think the general idea of things being a fun experiment rather than a test of absolute skill is helpful. “To chart a course but never sail, is equivalent to never charting a course but sailing blindly” — or something like that.

After all, what imposter syndrome could we feel, if we continue an ongoing existence as the perpetual student?