It’s Okay To Look Stupid

It’s okay to look stupid, while learning. At least that what I tell myself most of the time , especially when the subject is tough. Because you need to start somewhere and when you start doing something, you might do or ask things that might seem stupid to others. Yes, I think there are stupid questions because why else would people complimented that you asked a clever question and then say there is no stupid question? So I believe that some questions are a bit dull and might be ‘stupid’ but I believe these are the most of the time the basic questions and critical to create understanding. Hence why I think it is important to being able to look stupid while learning and asking these questions.

But like everything else, it is easier said than done. We like to be complemented, either for our looks, possessions, abilities or whatever else. We like to appear beautiful or smart. In contrast then we don’t like to look stupid. Recently I went on an advanced signalling training that taught me about designing signalling layout, things that dictates how or when train stops. These are important stuffs because if they fail or have faults, it can cause accidents. At the same time they need to cater to the operational needs. Combine with the 200 years plus these designs have been evolving and implemented, naturally they have become very complex and complicated.

My trainer has a lot of experience and taught the course in a very interactive way, drawing and explaining things along the way. However I am not from a design background and found it a bit hard to follow especially the course was at the advanced level. It was like he was explaining tactics in a football game while I only have been kicking the ball a few times in my life. And the training was attended by two people, including me. The other trainee meanwhile has a 24 years experience doing design. So you can imagine how out of my depth I felt and how some of my questions are so ‘basic’.

Anyways I finished the training and did the test, and reminded myself that everyone had to start somewhere. It also helped listening to this podcast where John Williams, the famous composer, does most of the work by himself, and that is not possible without trying and trying has to start somewhere. But I guess it helps too if you start at an appropriate level. Lesson learned, it’s okay to feel or look stupid but mentally you need to feel that you are able to cope, otherwise it will be a bit overwhelming, which reduces your cognitive ability, hence making you feel even more overwhelmed and creating a cycle.

Thank you for reading.