Be the “New Guy”

If you are the smartest, most successful person, or most talented person in a room you better be the one teaching everyone else in the room. If you aren’t, you are failing yourself. You are failing yourself because you are in an environment where your growth slows down or stops entirely. The benefit of being the best in the room is you have an opportunity to guide, elevate, and educate others. But if you are in search of continued personal growth whether that be physical, professional, or educational, you must opt back into the path of being the “new guy.”

The “new guy” shows up to new challenges, new opportunities, and new experiences in order to shock the body, mind, and soul. The “new guy” opts to be around experts and professionals. Whatever the field, whether it be basketweaving, real estate, exotic cars, or ultramarathons, the “new guy” is not afraid to be the least experienced, least talented, and least prepared person. They are not afraid because they are the most prepared to learn. They are the most prepared to accept the shock of a new experience, of new knowledge material, and of a new way of doing things. They are not afraid because they have an acceptance of what they don’t know and an understanding of who can enable them to know— the experts.

Being the “new guy” is difficult to start because it requires you to leave the ego at home. People struggle with being the “new guy” because they lack the humility to accept what they do not know and accept what they cannot currently do. People struggle being the “new guy” because it’s hard to transition from areas of known fields and known success in pursuit of a foreign entity, or of a foreign challenge. People struggle with being the “new guy” because they don’t want to immerse themselves in a place where they are prone to make mistakes and a place where they are worried they will be judged. People are scared of being the “new guy” because they are afraid of how they will be perceived.

Overcoming the fear and accepting your status as the “new guy” is the best move for personal growth. In the absence of ego, you can quit faking it until you make it. You can willingly choose to be the first one to ask questions. You can choose to seek the guidance of the experts with no shame. You accept that experts will not judge you for your inability to do or the mistakes you make because they recognize and understand the step of the process you are currently in. You are the “new guy.” The experts will want to help, will want to help you learn, and will offer encouragement and compassion when you fail. Being the “new guy” is an opportunity to learn from those who have done before, many times, when you are someone who has hardly done or never done before.

By accepting your lack of knowledge and lack of experience, you become comfortable being the “new guy” and are back on the highway to continued personal growth. Being the “new guy” is hard, but is a requirement for a continued level of personal evolution. If you have reached a peak of your current market, industry, or venture, opt for a new path. Become the “new guy” again until you become the expert.