“Every man has in himself a continent of undiscovered ability. Happy is he who acts as the Columbus to his own soul.” – Sir J. Stephen
There is great life to be found in the realization that you can get better at anything you want.
Three years ago, I wanted to improve my writing… I started a blog. This past fall, one of my good friends wanted to learn how to shoot photography… she began asking questions of her photographer. This past Christmas, my sister wanted to learn how to sew… she sat down and received a starting tutorial from my wife. This past week, my 9-year old son said he wanted to learn how to cook… I showed him how to make a pizza.
Each of these examples had three things in common: 1) They wanted to learn something new. 2) They took an intentional step in their life to learn it. 3) And they discovered a new skill because of it.
Our lives are made up of desires – things we wish to accomplish. We desire to become better parents, better spouses, better painters, better speakers, better cooks, or better graphic designers. We wish we were better at reading, writing, cleaning, organizing, leading, counseling, golfing, swimming, interviewing, entertaining, or fixing automobiles. There are countless good things that we can add to our lives… and breathe new life because of it.
It can be helpful to be reminded that learning any new skill is a simple three-step process that holds true every single time.
1. We make a conscience decision to pursue it. This involves moving an idea from the back of our mind to the front. It includes a thoughtful, decision-making process (i.e., Is this new skill worth the effort? Will it improve my life?). It requires confidence, motivation, and intentionality. And it requires a breakthrough moment where we sit down and decide, “Yes, I’m finally going to do this!”
2. We remove competing distractions. Our lives are full. Learning a new skill should be fun, but it will always require time. And the more we wish to improve (or based on the complexity of the new skill), the more time and mental energy is going to be required. As a result, we must purposefully remove competing distractions. We seek to remove the correct distractions (television, video games, mindless Internet browsing, staying up too late, sleeping in too long, etc.) and leave the important ones untouched in our lives (work, our kids, our spouses, community service, etc.). And we carefully select the right seasons in life to add them.
3. We plan our next step and take it. If you are reading this blog post today, there are countless resources available to you online in almost every imaginable field. If you are in a community, there are likely numerous educational opportunities available to you through your local Parks and Rec. department. If you have friends, they have countless hours of training/experience in some very desired skills. And your local library likely holds at least one book relevant to any skill you’d like to learn. There is virtually no limit to the number of “next steps” available to us… we just need to select one.
So what new skill would you like to pursue in your life? And what is the next step you need to take to discover it?
Let me encourage you today to develop it. ‘Cause you can get better at anything you want.
Great post. I just have a hard time narrowing my interests down to a manageable amount. Then, I need to work hard on focusing on follow through. I think the important part for me is the “decision-making process (i.e., Is this new skill worth the effort? Will it improve my life?).” I need to focus more on that.
That’s not too hard, now is it.
Seriously, you did a great job at breaking down a journey towards something new. It really is as simple as following a few steps.
What’s more, amazing things can happen when we follow through everyday. If you told me 8 years ago I’d have the business I have today and the kind of life that allows me to invest myself in what matters most…I’d tend to think it was impossible. But the truth is, it wasn’t all that difficult because I followed the steps you outlined above.
Good job, Joshua!
Love it! So many times people think they shouldn’t try because they don’t know how to do it perfectly… doesn’t work that way. Thanks!
So many people (my husband is really bad about it!) talk a lot about what they’d like to do, yet never do anything about it. I think that on one hand, in reality they are just saying ” Wouldn’t it be cool to learn to fly a plane?” and they’re not really saying “I want to get my pilot’s license.”
I think there is a big difference in admiring the awesomeness of something and actually wanting to DO that thing. I have had to learn with my husband that he doesn’t actually MEAN that he wants to do that thing. I used to get so frustrated because he was always saying these things and then never ever taking any steps to do them. Only when I realized what his language truly meant was I able to understand him.
If there is something he seems truly interested in, I will encourage him. For instance, he got a fly-fishing lesson certificate for Christmas!
On the other hand, Joshua, you are right. It is within our capability to learn to do almost anything we want to!
Bernice
Do your actions match your values?
Great post, Joshua! And very timely as well. These are excellent steps to remember. My number one goal for this year is to get my Instrument Rating and become a better pilot because of it. I never thought I would get my pilot’s license, much less be working on the instrument rating. But I got my license last year and am continuing the learning process! It’s a wonderful feeling to set a goal and achieve it. Thanks for writing like you do.
Two of my favorite piano students are “older” ones who have decided that they want to take the time to learn something new now that they are retired. Will they ever be well known accomplished performers? No, but they are both having the time of their lives getting up and playing at the recitals with the children and making music. I tend to get so caught up in life that I forget to make time to grow as a person, these two women keep me inspired!
Thanks for another encouraging post.
Can I add ‘give yourself time’ – learning a skill can require some serious patience. It doesn’t happen overnight!
On my hit list is to become a good photographer and write my first e-cookbook. Both go hand in hand. What I need to do to take the next step is to not just remove distractions but complete or abandon unfinished business. I also need better daylight in the UK but that’s something out of my control!
Your post really hit home. It seems that the Lord gave me an “editing” gene that helps me to see mistakes in other people’s writing and I’ve often wondered how I could use this ability to please Him and serve others. Recently I cleared my schedule so that I could take an editing/proofreading course. It’s been so much fun to grow in this area, but I had to take step two to discover that.