A beginner is someone who is just starting to learn or do something new. When you pick up a violin for the first time, you're a beginner violinist. When your friend joins the soccer team without ever having played before, she's a beginner player.

Being a beginner means you're at the starting point of a journey. You don't have much experience yet, and you're still learning the basics. A beginner chess player is figuring out how the pieces move, while an expert player is planning strategies several moves ahead. A beginner swimmer might be learning to float and kick, while an advanced swimmer glides through the water.

Every expert was once a beginner. The concert pianist started as a beginner, stumbling through simple scales. People who become skilled usually practice a lot and keep trying, even when it's hard.

Sometimes people feel embarrassed about being beginners, but there's no shame in it. Everyone starts somewhere. A beginner's mind is actually valuable because beginners can notice things that experts overlook and ask questions that lead to new discoveries.