Becoming a beginner again

Between deadlines, projects and exceling at the work we do every day, it's easy to forget what it feels like to be a beginner again.

Last week, I found myself back in a classroom at the Wine & Spirit Campus (WiSP) in Bordeaux. Surrounded by wine industry professionals, I was very aware of being the "newbie" participating in an advanced wine course - despite years of studying wine out of personal interest. It was both humbling and intimidating.

Blind tastings and note taking in Bordeux

The days were intense. Hours of blind tastings, note taking and concentration - followed by evenings studying late into the night. And somewhere along the way, the experience became much more than about wine itself.

It reminded me how uncomfortable growth can feel when we step outside the zones we've built. In our professional lives, many of us bring years of skill and expertise to contribute confidently and navigate complexity. Sitting in an unfamiliar classroom in France, I became a beginner again - being uncertain, asking questions, and learning simply for the sake of learning. A feeling I haven't had in far too long.

The afternoon after completing the theory and tasting exam for the WSET Level 3 program, I found myself sitting quietly with a glass of champagne at Le Bar à Vin in the heart of Bordeaux. Beneath a towering stained glass window with sunlight pouring through onto the tables around me, the moment felt surreal.

A glass of champagne, well deserved cheese plate and sense of accomplishment

For the first time in days, there was nowhere else I needed to be.

I devoured a generously sized cheese plate entirely on my own. Somewhere between a mixed sense of relief, exhaustion and accomplishment, I realized I wasn't just hungry from the exam.

I had built up an appetite for something larger - challenge, growth, curiosity, and the feeling of being fully engaged in life again.

One of my biggest milestones in recent years had nothing to do with my career.

And maybe that mattered most of all.

Because growth doesn't always come from becoming better at what we already do or are good at. It comes from having the courage to step into rooms where we are no longer experts - only curious enough to keep learning, and brave enough to become a beginner again.