I’m coming at this from the point of view of implied opportunities. I want to improve in my hobbies, and I’d like to maximize the enjoyment I get out of doing them. The path of least resistance is likely to expose me to a peer group who intimidate me, and from whom learning will be difficult or impossible due to a large skill gap.
Peers in the same performance range are going to be more difficult to coordinate with, because they are only engaging in the hobby as often as I am, which is far less than the high performers I would be trying to avoid. Most enthusiast groups I’ve encountered are generally populated by the high performers as well. It feels like there is an underserved market for bringing together the mid-tier hobbyists who aren’t engaged by a beginner group and haven’t reached a level to be comfortable around the advanced practitioners who dominate typical clubs.
My own experience points towards outsized rewards from finding an very enthusiastic beginner to partner with. They provide the schedule flexibility, and you provide what mentorship you can. You know that they will surpass you in time, but you can build confidence and grow with them until they get to a point that you’re not in their peer group any longer.
There is a trick that I’ve found very useful when starting new hobbies: “embrace the suck.” I can learn to enjoy having no idea what I’m doing. I can learn to enjoy showing up consistently and being the worst serious person in the room. Even gym rats tend respect the person who shows up 3 days a week at the same time for 6 months, as long as they’re gradually improving.
I’m coming at this from the point of view of implied opportunities. I want to improve in my hobbies, and I’d like to maximize the enjoyment I get out of doing them. The path of least resistance is likely to expose me to a peer group who intimidate me, and from whom learning will be difficult or impossible due to a large skill gap.
Peers in the same performance range are going to be more difficult to coordinate with, because they are only engaging in the hobby as often as I am, which is far less than the high performers I would be trying to avoid. Most enthusiast groups I’ve encountered are generally populated by the high performers as well. It feels like there is an underserved market for bringing together the mid-tier hobbyists who aren’t engaged by a beginner group and haven’t reached a level to be comfortable around the advanced practitioners who dominate typical clubs.
My own experience points towards outsized rewards from finding an very enthusiastic beginner to partner with. They provide the schedule flexibility, and you provide what mentorship you can. You know that they will surpass you in time, but you can build confidence and grow with them until they get to a point that you’re not in their peer group any longer.
There is a trick that I’ve found very useful when starting new hobbies: “embrace the suck.” I can learn to enjoy having no idea what I’m doing. I can learn to enjoy showing up consistently and being the worst serious person in the room. Even gym rats tend respect the person who shows up 3 days a week at the same time for 6 months, as long as they’re gradually improving.