When I was in my yoga teacher training years ago, I was exposed to the statement that for the first twelve years of consistent practice, you are still a beginner.   What?  That didn’t feel motivating to a recovering type A, overachiever personality. When I started practicing yoga, it was athletic, challenging, and I wanted to be the best in the class.  I laugh at my ego ambition of those days and am grateful for what I learned.

At first, I thought that concept of long-term mastery was meant to keep us humble and committed. But over time, I realized it was something deeper—it was an invitation. An invitation to approach yoga not as something to conquer, but as something to relate to. A lifelong practice that meets you exactly where you are, a never-ending exploration and refinement.

I think about that often as I watch the rush by everyone to learn and be better at AI. People are scrambling to master prompt engineering, automate workflows, and keep up with the latest releases. The pressure to be fluent, fast, and flawless is intense, especially when the media is constantly sharing our jobs may be at risk or our company leaders are monitoring our adoption.

But here’s the truth: Being “good or bad at AI” is a myth.

Because AI isn’t a mountain you climb once. It’s a river you learn to swim in. It shifts daily. It flows differently depending on who you are, what you care about, and how you choose to engage with it.

AI, Like Yoga, Is a Practice

When I started practicing yoga, I wasn’t trying to be the most flexible person in the room. I was trying to breathe. Trying to feel my feet on the ground. Trying to understand my own limits without shame. And over time, I didn’t get “good”—I got more attuned.

That’s what working with AI feels like now.

The more I use it, the less I aim for mastery—and the more I aim for partnership. I’m learning what it can offer, what it can’t, how it surprises me, how it sometimes reflects my blind spots, and how it expands my thinking when I let it.

Upskilling as a Unique Journey

The AI learning curve isn’t a curve. It’s a spiral. You circle back to the same questions with more nuance. You try something, get it wrong, then try again with deeper clarity. And your entry point doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

Some people start with building code. Others start with writing prompts for poems or asking AI to help them brainstorm a tough email. That’s all valid.

If you’ve ever felt behind or “not techy enough,” I want to say this with love: That story is optional. You get to write a new one.  

Practice Over Perfection

I’ve seen AI help women articulate their value, build stronger portfolios, generate resumes, even plan more sustainable workloads. But only when they engage it on their own terms. Not to “keep up,” but to be in dialogue with the tools.

And let’s really get real - AI is a tool. A tool that comes in many forms designed to offload work, speed things up, and move us forward in some way or another with new applications that said if it doesn’t meet a goal and if we don’t keep our humanity in front of it, we will just spin our wheels adding on more work and and chasing a train moving too fast to jump on.

Like yoga, AI becomes meaningful when it’s integrated into your real life—your breath, your rhythm, your needs.

So instead of asking, “Am I good at AI?”
Try asking, “What kind of relationship do I want with this technology?”

That question is softer, but more powerful. It invites agency, not anxiety.

You’re Allowed to Be a Beginner

Just like I tell students on the mat: You’re allowed to wobble. You’re allowed to modify. You’re allowed to learn slowly and in public. That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.  And as you learn you will learn something new, and you will use it in a way no one else will.  Thats the beauty, so try things, stay curious and share with others your best practices.  

In the world of AI, we need more people who learn with intention, curiosity, and care—not performative mastery.

Because ultimately, this isn’t about being good at a tool.
It’s about being true to yourself while the world changes—and learning to move with that change instead of against it.

There is a lot of noise about AI and its not going away.  At Hbird Consulting we create talks and trainings to meet you where you are, get you AI literate and give you ideas and collaborative support on integrating it into your work and life.  Not prescriptive, just empowering.  Like art class we teach technique, but the creative work is yours.  

Enjoy the journey, we are here to help.

Sign up for our upcoming 2-session course that teaches you the foundations of AI to get you started on your journey. It's being offered live this August 18th and 20th, and you can register here.