Breaking Free From the Mastery Mentality
I’ve always approached learning in a very linear way:
- Figure out what I need to know.
- Read books or watch videos.
- Practice.
- Master the skill.
That formula has worked for me for years. There’s a clear start, a clear end, and a sense of completion.
But when I started building my own projects, that approach broke down completely.
Because building isn’t linear—it’s iterative.
- You Google.
- You ask ChatGPT.
- You test something.
- You break something.
- You fix it.
- You repeat.
And that’s normal. Not knowing is normal. Figuring things out as you go is normal.
But for me, it’s been incredibly frustrating. I’m used to mastery, not messiness. Even though I’m not programming—I’m just using WordPress—the sheer number of details and unknowns has been overwhelming.
What I’m slowly realizing is that the first step isn’t about mastery at all. It’s about getting comfortable with not knowing. Accepting that you’ll figure it out along the way.
Because if you wait until you’re an expert, you’ll never start.