When we start something new, it seems like we make so much progress in such a short time. It doesn’t take long before we can make a stitch when we first learn to sew, or create a shadow effect on a shape when learning how to draw. The first steps of anything new can feel like huge leaps of progress.

However, the further we get into our journey, the less visible our progress seems. Not only that, but we also need better ways to improve.

So, who are the people we practice with? Who are our sparring partners?

People Who Are Better

People who get better and better, even the best of the best, do so by consistently working on their craft. An important part of this practice is who they practice with.

Who are the sparring partners they go into the ring with to learn?

The best become better by challenging themselves, playing and practicing with people who are better than them or just as good. They crave the learning experience that comes from it.

There are many lessons to take when you are in the room with someone who has more experience than you. You can’t be intimidated. You need to be curious because, at one point, they were where you are.

When it comes to getting better, being in the presence of someone with more experience—whether in sports, business, art or anything else—can make curiosity your secret weapon.

With curiosity, you can learn about the mistakes they made along the way to get where they are. This allows you to avoid some of those mistakes and move forward faster.

Everyone who is great at what they do has learned difficult lessons they can share so others don’t have to repeat them.

You don’t need to be afraid of being around someone who knows more than you. You need to be curious about what they know.

Your Peers

Your learning partners are not only people with more experience than you. They can also be your peers.

Peers allow you to share the common struggle and brainstorm through problems. People with more experience may not have gone through some of the problems you’re facing because they are modern problems.

Marketing and sales, for example, are not done the same way they were 20 years ago. Technology has changed. The way we communicate has changed. The problems we face today can be different from the problems people faced years ago.

Your peers can provide a different perspective on what is happening now. They can challenge your ideas, and you can challenge theirs.

There is something valuable about being in the same place as someone else and figuring things out together.

You don’t always need someone to teach you.

Sometimes you need someone to figure it out with you.

People Who Know Less

Finally, you can also find knowledge with people who know less than you and have less experience. They can be a great asset as well.

They share a unique view on things that can help you navigate through problems. Don’t underestimate an open mind. It can allow you to discover new ways of thinking.

You can’t be closed-minded just because someone has less experience. If they have a good point, you need to be willing to absorb it.

Another way people with less experience allow you to learn is by teaching them.

Teaching can be a measuring stick for your knowledge. If you can’t properly articulate what you want to teach, it may mean your knowledge of the subject needs to be reviewed.

Teaching forces you to slow down and organize what you know.

If you can articulate what you know in a way others understand and retain, it provides confirmation that you understand the subject.

Sometimes, the best way to understand something is to try to explain it to someone else.

You Need All Three

You need all three sparring partners to be successful and get better.

People who know more than you can teach you.

Your peers can challenge your thinking.

People who know less than you can help you see things differently and test how well you understand what you know.

All three are important, but they don’t necessarily need to be balanced. It all depends on where you are in your learning journey.

Are you trying to get better?

Are you trying to understand?

Are you stuck on a problem?

Those questions can help determine which partner you need. Maybe you need all three at once. There’s no perfect formula. The important thing is knowing that you don’t have to get better on your own.

Find the people who challenge you.

Find the people who teach you.

Find the people who make you think differently.

Your sparring partners are out there. You just need to step into the ring.

Take care.