Stop being a know-it-all

I don’t like the term “we were all beginners once”.

This implies that being a beginner is a finite situation.

I think that we should all strive to live in a constant state of beginning — because if we’re not beginning, we’re not learning.

Six months ago, I became a beginner (again) by starting this newsletter. Your incredible feedback thus far has helped me shape the Prequel Newsletter into what you see now, but I still have a lot to learn!

Could you spare a few minutes to hop on a Zoom call and answer some questions?

Most kids hate beginning

Diving into new territory is:

• Terrifying

• Humbling

• Uncomfortable

It requires patience and persistence to get good at something. In the meantime, their desire to be great will outpace their skills, and this will be painful.

If they hate beginning, they’re more likely to quit before they have time to develop their skills in the first place (or, worse, never begin at all!).

But being a beginner is actually an asset. 👏

Because the beginner will always work harder and learn more than the person who thinks they already know everything.

🧠 It’s what Zen Buddhism refers to as shoshin, or “beginner’s mind,” which means having an attitude of:

• Openness

• Eagerness

• Lack of preconceptions

And it’s a skill that can be improved over time.

One thing you don’t want to feel like a beginner at…

…is crafting a winning college essay.

Don’t worry — I got you.

I’m excited to announce the launch of Prequel’s new College Essay Accelerator.

Forget cookie-cutter essays. 🙄

Your kid is more than just their grades. 💪

We’ll dig deep to help them craft a story that grabs attention. So when the admissions office opens their file, they’re not just another applicant—they’re the applicant.

Spaces are limited, enroll today!

In the meantime, here are our tips for helping your kid embrace new beginnings. 👇

Take a tip from toddlers

Tom Vanderbilt, author of Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning, suggests looking to small children to learn how to be better at beginning:

“Small children… have beginners’ minds, open to wider possibilities… Because they’re less concerned with being wrong or looking foolish.”

Little kids are expert beginners — they fearlessly throw themselves into new skills like:

🚲️ Riding a bike, even if they fall down.

1️⃣ Counting to 100, even if they miss a number.

💫 Getting a book on astronomy, even if they can’t understand all the big words.

George Bernard Shaw said: “A man learns to skate by staggering about and making a fool of himself. Indeed he progresses in all things by resolutely making a fool of himself.”

As your child grows and becomes more self-conscious, encourage them to not be afraid of looking like a fool — embrace it! It’s all part of the learning process.

Be willing to be the person who knows the least

Nell Painter, a celebrated historian, chose to attend art school in her 60s.

She went from being the smartest person in every room…

…to the person in the room who knew the least.

“What made me think I could begin anew in an entirely different field from history, where, truth be told, I had made a pretty good reputation?...” writes Nell. “I said, because I wanted to. Because I could.”

It’s like how Andy Hwang felt when he walked into BETA Camp with zero experience in business.

“I was very nervous,” says Andy. “I had that underdog mindset because I wanted to prove myself against all these people who knew more than me.”

Being a beginner requires a willingness to be the person in the room who knows the least — but just for a little while.

Because by knowing the least, you also end up being the person learning the most.

Run your own race

Constantly remind your kids that if they want to learn something new, it’s never too late. Heck – lead by example on this one!

Even though it may be intimidating to try new activities that their peers have been doing for years, encourage them to take small, manageable steps and focus on their personal progress rather than comparing themselves to their friends.

“You just have to run your own race,” says Andy. 👟

Andy is now in his third year at Western University. He’ll graduate with two bachelor’s degrees: one in computer science, and another in business.

Majoring in computer science was a last-minute decision, so he started his freshman year as a total beginner:

“I didn’t take a computer science course in all of high school, and I never read of line of code,” says Andy.

His classmates had been coding since they were kids. But that didn’t mean it was too late for Andy.

Rather than fixating on others, he set his own goals.

And despite the late start, he still landed a great internship in his first year.

Surround yourself with passionate people

When BETA Camp alum Charlotte Marron got to university, she wanted to join a club.

As a business major, she thought she’d join a business club — but then, she decided to join one that builds rockets instead.

“It was intimidating to go in there wanting to provide something, but knowing nothing about rockets,” says Charlotte.

She knew nothing about:

• Building rockets

• Engineering

• Or even much about science!

But she was excited to learn from others — and she did! 🚀

Being the person in the room who knows the least is intimidating, hands down. But most of the time, people are psyched to share their passions with others.

Andy also benefited from finding a passionate tribe:

“No matter what you do, if you go into an area where people are good at it, they’re probably passionate about it,” he said. “And people love to get other people into their passions.” 🔥

Until next time,

Ivy

CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo

Follow my journey on LinkedIn