4 Lessons That Can Help You Learn a New Skill
One day I was listening to a lecture given by Mr. Alan Watts. In that lecture, Mr. Watts talked about how having pleasure in life is linked to having a skill. You cannot communicate with other people without a skill. You cannot drive a car without a skill. This resonated deeply with our current reality, a world that values speed over discipline. We teach our youth that things should be done fast. That is not always the case.
In his lecture Mr. Watts exemplified that many people acquire estate that require a discipline — he prefers the word skill — that is quite hard, specifically he gives the example of owning a boat. Yachts, boats, canoes and other forms of transportation through the water require mastery of a wide range of skills, from navigation to weather forecasting. Without those skills a person would not be qualified to be the captain of even a canoe. You should try to master a skill so that you can use that skill to communicate with the word and consequently to have pleasure, he concludes.
This lecture was quite eye-opening to me. Often, I decide that I want to learn a new skill, in contrast, I wasn’t willing, or simply did not have the time, to dedicate myself enough to master it.
Learning a new skill — Snowboarding
Recently, I have started teaching myself how to snowboard. This is a quite challenging discipline that requires physical endurance, persistence and, of course, embracing the cold.
Since I was a teenager, I have played snowboarding videogames. I dreamed of going down the hill in a graphic board and colorful outfit. However, I lived in a tropical country and I would not have access to snowboarding. My first contact with the sport was only on my late twenties, after moving to the Great North.
In the last day of the season, a friend invited me to pay a visit to the bunny (beginners, in snowboarding slang) hill. This was a terrible first experience, not because he was a bad company or because I didn’t have my own equipment, but because I choose the wrong time to try that new art. In that very same day, I had attended a HIIT class and a Yoga class with my friend. All that summed up to the fact that I was a sedentary person. I couldn’t even stay up since my legs were shaking after all that physical exercise. The first experience with snowboarding was frustrating.
Lesson 1: There is a time to learn a new skill.
And that time is not when you’re stressed or when you just decided to push yourself all-in. A skill is nothing but a continuous effort that stretches through a (sometimes long) period of time.
There is another lesson to be learned here:
Lesson 2: Do not give up on the first try
I have a personal take on number of chances I give on anything: three. The reasoning is simple: three times give the event 3 chances to go right. If something goes wrong several times (and, believe me, it happens), it is just bad luck. But with three times trying anything I can tell if I want to pursue it or not.
If you give up on anything on the very first time you try it, you are simply not giving yourself the time to learn that new skill. You are also not giving yourself enough information about that activity so you can make a decision about whether or not you want to pursue it! Next time you try a new activity, give it a couple chances, you will be surprised on how your learning will change.
The hiatus
One year later I decided to go to a hill and try to do snowboarding by myself. I watched several YouTube videos made by snowboarding instructors talking about the basic steps on how to start on the sport. I watched those videos eagerly and took notes on what should I learn first.
I sought for advice online from several people that wear snowboarders but nothing instructors or professionals. Many of them advised me to buy used equipment so I could learn. I did so and acquired a second-hand snowboard, went to the shop, got praised by the technician and headed to the hill. I tried to ride by myself and I was quite successful for a second timer. However, I felt like I did not have control of my board, I started reflecting on the causes of that.
In the very last ride of the night I got myself into a jam with several beginners and ended up spraying my knee. I had planned a trip to a snowboarding resort and if I was hurt for too long, I would lose that opportunity. Fortunately, it was not anything serious and I could travel to my destination. I however could not practice more.
Bigger challenges and questioning the self
I have arrived at this big mountain with my equipment and headed to the very top and tried riding down. I could not ride even half of the mountain. I was eventually rescued by paramedics — not because I was hurt — because I was exhausted, and I just couldn’t reach the gondola. I continued to wonder what was wrong since I could ride my board. Was I weak? Didn’t I have enough endurance? Was snowboarding the right skill for me? Those questions needed answers before I continued into the journey of progressing my skill. I went to seek professional advice.
Was I weak? Didn’t I have enough endurance? Was snowboarding the right skill for me?
I walked into an enormous snowboarding store and overheard this gentleman lecturing all sorts of wonderful characteristics about every single type of board. I was fascinated with his knowledge about snowboarding. There it was the knowledge I needed. Mr. Watts says that any discipline can be extremely pleasing to learn, as long as the teacher can get the disciple fascinated about it. That’s what the overheard knowledge did to me. I waited for a long time, but I was decided to pick the brain of that gentleman. He taught me several things about boards and snowboarding in general, things that internet forums and snowboarding videos would not have taught me ever. He also asked me about my board — the tools to develop a skill — and when he heard about the board that I was riding he immediately identified that the problem that I was facing was actually not because I wasn’t skilled enough or strong enough, I did not have the correct tools. There was a — quite large — cost associated with obtaining new equipment and although I wasn’t inclined to spend that money into a new board and new bindings, I still did it.
That same day went to the same mountain that I could not finish the previously. Not surprisingly, I was able to ride it from the peak to the gondola. I was fascinated about the difference that the board made to me as a rider. On the second day I was able to ride the mountain not once but three times. I was amazed not just by my progress but by how the right tools helped me to develop my skill so much faster.
Lesson 3: Professional advice is tied to the mastering of a new skill.
It does not have to cost anything. Sometimes videos or a videocall will suffice. In this case, visiting that gentleman at that specific store helped me realize what was wrong. Even as a self learner, most of the time you won’t be learning from trial and error. You will probably be consulting a book, a tutorial or even questions made by someone that followed the same path as you. Seeking advice does not make you less of a self learner, on the contrary, you are getting steered into the right path to teaching yourself a new skill.
If you are stuck, seek someone that is more skilled than you to help you to identify why you’re stuck and how can you get around the obstacles.
There are plenty of people that are willing to share their knowledge with you. Sometimes that will have a cost, for example a degree, but it is worth it. If you are a self-learner, this advice can come in a book, tutorial, blogposts or as a deep reflection.
Lesson 4: Have the right tools for a smoother learning.
I have read several times people criticizing beginners, saying that “if they had the talent, they would able to do X by using Y”. A classic example is creating art, people thing that beginners would be able to draw with even a stick. The point is, this is not about having a natural talent, but about building a skill.
If you have the best tools when you are learning, you will have better chances of developing your mastery way. Eventually, after you are the master of your craft, you will be able to perform your craft with average or even bad tools. That is quite intuitive! Have the best tools, attend the best classes, be the best in the field.
Learning a new skillset can be challenging, but it is for sure rewarding. When I was able to ride the mountain top to bottom by myself, I was just so proud. That reverberates to many other areas of my life. As a self-learner, I have taught myself several programming skills and languages and other skills. These lessons speak to my philosophy of learning and hopefully they will help you to develop yourself and to become a better learner.
