When you want to learn something new where do you start? Do you dive right in and try it before reading the instructions? Or do you like to research and get some theoretical structure in order to support the practical understanding?

The best education includes both but we tend to favor one approach or the other. There’s no one right way. Problems may arise if you overdo one or the other– for example the student who keeps taking training after training and never ventures forth to use what she’s learned. Or the do-it-yourselfer who figures out a way to get by, but her understanding is so narrow that she never progresses beyond a certain point.

I’ve been thinking about this because I’m back in Driver’s Ed again. Together my husband and I have nearly a century of safe driving experience but because Italy does not exchange licenses with the U.S. we must start at the beginning.

Over the past week we’ve had six hours of lectures to prepare for the written exam. We’re not yet halfway through. After each class we look at each other and say, “We’re doomed.”

The test is designed to be tricky for mother tongue speakers and I am a long way from that. At my level I read the sentence (slowly) and can pick out many of the words– but not all, and it’s those little distinctions that determine whether the statement is true or false.

I suspect we will ace the actual driving tests (with the possible exception of parallel parking) but the timed written exam will be tough. The school provides lots of practice exams and Michael found an app to help us learn. The school had to order a manual with an English translation. That’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. I’m hoping it will help.

There’s probably a German word for the emotion I’m feeling– a combination of envious/resentful/superior of and to the EU expats who don’t have to go through all of this. They just take an eye test and boom, they’re done. Instant patente di guida Italiano. Grrr.

I felt this same feeling years ago when I had completed graduate school and was looking for consulting work. A woman I knew was hired to do trainings for a national organization. Her only qualifications were that she was a skilled speaker (Toastmasters and radio announcer) and she had enormous confidence. I had a Master’s degree! How come SHE gets the cool gig?

I got over myself and learned then that chutzpah is extremely important. Believing in yourself is a key element of success. Some of us need/desire education and advanced certifications in order to feel that sense of worth. It doesn’t come automatically with the sheepskin. It has to be nurtured concurrently.

If you’re progress is stalled, and you’re not getting where you want to go, it could be an issue of too much or too little training. Do you need to close the manual and simply dive in and do? Or get additional information or expert advice? What have you been doing a lot of? What do you need more of?

Don’t let fear or ignorance limit you.