If you are not willing to be a fool, you can't become a master. Jordan B. Peterson
On a recent podcast of his personal development coach Rob Dial paraphrased the above quote by Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson, a podcaster in his own right. It was used to illustrate how people need to immerse themselves within an area in which they want to attain expertise, with mistakes and failures integral parts of the learning process. Dial didn't mention Peterson by name, which to me seemed unusual. Jordan B. Peterson wrote a book, among others, titled The Twelve Rules of Life, which I checked out on Libby and am currently reading. He takes a strong position on people taking personal responsibility for their own lives and has gotten some negative press scrutiny over his general objection to identity politics, although on a number of issues he is clearly on the liberal side. I won't get into the dude's political leanings but rather into the substance of the above quote. As little children, we usually are given much leeway with our mistakes, but once we "grow up" those same mistakes can make us the target of ridicule...or at least that's the way our fears can manipulate us into believing. I know that I will never speak a language I am studying unless I first just get out there with native speakers and stumble around, playing the fool, so to speak. The same thing goes for any other area I'm engaged in. Of course, if I'm learning to fly a plane or drive and park a long tractor trailer, there is naturally going to be less tolerance on being a fool and making mistakes as the negative consequences would be too high. But speaking a new language? Somebody throw me a jester's hat!
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