When I was a kid, I had this sudden wish to learn the piano after watching that scene from Tim Burton’s movie “Corpse Bride” where Victor, the main character, plays a piano solo.
When I told my parents, they were very supportive, my dad actually went and bought a piano before I even had my first lesson, and my mom would take me to my classes by bus.
I had no excuses to give up besides myself — and yet I did.
As I started to learn it, I started to get frustrated. I remember feeling that I wasn’t progressing as I thought I would, and starting to believe that piano just wasn’t for me, so I dropped it.
This idea stuck with me all the way through my adulthood, where I would think that if I fail at something, I’m just not good enough for it and it would be wiser to try something else.
I still don’t know how to play the piano.
A different perspective
I later realized that, to think you can't do something is one of—if not the most—limiting beliefs a person can have. It’s the first step to succeeding at anything, but despite acknowledging that, I was still struggling to convince myself.
I’ve heard about growth mindset before but I thought it was some motivational BS that people say to make them feel better about themselves, so I never really bothered understanding what it actually meant.
That was until I read Pedro’s memo and finally decided to embrace it.
What changed?
I started to believe there is nothing I can't learn, and this is liberating.
I’ve started to approach new things from a position of learning and curiosity, while celebrating even the smallest progress. Now the journey feels light, feels good.
I’ve started getting inspired by other people’s success instead of feeling inferior and discouraged. If they can do it, it means it is possible.
So many possibilities opened up — everything suddenly felt possible instead of unreachable. I worry more about whether it’s what I really want instead of whether or not I can do it.
Impostor syndrome? Gone. I remind myself that everything I know now I didn’t know at some point, so I just need to put the time and effort to improve.
I don’t feel threatened by challenges anymore; I embrace them with excitement instead of nervousness, since they get me out of my comfort zone and teach me so many things.
Most importantly, I’ve started to see failures as extremely valuable opportunities to grow. At the end of the day, it is just feedback, nothing else. It shows you what went wrong, so you can course correct.