Learning Trajectory

Many times I have signed up for beginners classes of something (for instance Salsa) and found it was difficult to for me and I had to stretch to keep pace. It made me uneasy that I was struggling even at something that was classified as beginners level (while everyone else seemed to be rocking it).

On other occasions I have signed up for advanced classes of some other things and felt it was a breeze for me. It gave a momentary sense of accomplishment.

Over the years have come to a realisation that just because someone decides to classify an activity as a beginner or advanced, doesn't mean it is easy or difficult for us. Using someone else's yardstick of how easy or difficult an activity is often comes in the way of focusing on the learning.

Our learning trajectories are unique to us, and different for different things. Struggling on what someone calls as a beginner level activity doesn't make us slow, and breezing through another activity that someone classifies as an advanced level activity doesn't make us accomplished. It has taken many years to come to this realisation, but it makes learning more enjoyable & easier to pursue.