I heard a term recently while listening to a great podcast (UX Defenders EP 75): Recovering Perfectionist.
Jessica Gaddis was being interviewed and she used this term in reference to not wanting to try new things because she may not be great at them. This resonated pretty heavily with me, especially in regards to my journey into UX, and I think it hits a cord with anyone who struggles with feeling self-conscious about not being great at something with little to no effort.
I have to constantly remind myself that ‘I don’t know’ is a perfectly acceptable answer and asking questions is how we learn. I am a firm believer that the secret to life is that no one knows what they are doing and we are all just making our best guess as we go. It’s the equivalent of picturing a crowd in their underwear to dispel stage fright. You might feel less self-conscious about asking questions if you realize not one person out there has ALL the answers.
Besides, you know what’s really damn hard? Generating ideas out of nothing and taking that first step.
A vague request.
An empty page.
A stack of unused post-its.
A blank whiteboard.
I’m starting to sound like an Alanis Morissette song but wading into the unknown without any clue what you are doing can be so overwhelming and intimidating but a lot of people can empathize with that situation.
Having curiosity or a drive to learn is never a bad thing, be comfortable not having all the answers because the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.
