There are many theories and suggestions for mastering
skills, but my experience has always been the simple three-step procedures
outlined here. Remember, simple doesn’t mean it’s easy or fast. Simple only
means that it’s the easiest approach to mastery.
In today’s world, there are so many things to learn, and
experience, yet most people would rather stick to what they already know, and
not worry to take a leap, and experience something new. If you were to
ask somebody what may prevent them from learning a new skill, I am sure they
would use time as an excuse. If you are serious about wanting to pick up
a new skill and being able to learn it well, and learn it in a timely behavior.
1.
Breakdown
the skill, and make it less overwhelming.
When you start to learn something new, it can become extremely overwhelming,
which can cause you to give up on it before you even start. A lot of skills
are usually a bunch of skills put together. Take baseball as an example.
You have to know how to bat, throw, and catch. Rather than going
out and just trying to play baseballs, try playing catch with a friend one day,
and go to the batting cages the next. By breaking it down into two separate
sessions, you don’t engulf yourself with trying to do it all at once.
2.
Imagine
yourself doing the skill.
Make it a routine to visualize yourself performing the skill you
are trying to learn. I have learned that by doing this, by visualizing
yourself doing the task, it boosts your self-confidence, and you feel more
confident within yourself that you can master the skill exactly how you want
to.
3.
Watch.
If you want to learn how to do something, you need a trainer.
Whether it’s a formal education or a mentor, you need somebody to show you how
it’s done first.
As Pablo Picasso said, “learn the rules like a pro, so you
can break them like an artist.”
Questions are a very good thing at this early stage in the
mastery game. So is constant exposure to what you’re trying to master. People
trying to learn a new language have to learn the basics of sentence structure,
tenses and building blocks or words, sounds and letters before they can start
trying to speak. Builders have to apprentice, business leaders need to first
intern and so on. If you want to learn how to do it, you will need to find a
great teacher to show you.
4.
Be overconfident,
but be humble.
Once you are past the first few hours of practice, and you are
starting to pick up the skill a little better, free to act like you are already
have been doing it for a while. This is another way to boost your
confidence, and make learning even more go a lot better. On the other
hand, don’t let it get to your head. The worst thing you can do to your
progress is be too cocky, because then you will feel like you know everything
about it, when the truth is that you probably have a lot more to learn. Its
okay to feel proud of how far you came, but don’t for get to keep moving
forward.
5.
Do.
With the tools of surveillance
and a steady, constant exposure to the skill you desire to obtain, the next
step is to try it on your own with your mentor or teacher as a guide.
If you’re a builder, draw up your first framework for
inspection. If you’re a leader, take charge of a project or task.
This step is crucial. No language was ever learned without
speaking. No success was ever built without risk and the willingness to fail.
Failure does not mean defeat unless you stop trying, and it’s in this crucial
“do” stage of mastery that you must muster all your courage and be willing to
stumble, fall and fail, only to stand up and try again with your mentor or
teacher’s help.
Mastery comes from failing, risk and being willing to be
taught as you continue to try and learn how to do it better, faster and
simpler. Until that one day when you "get it."
6.
Teach.
Just when you believe you’ve achieved mastery, there’s one
more step. In my experience this is where so many who are close to mastery lose
their footing and end up diminishing behind.
If you truly are good enough at your desired skill to be
trusted to perform the task at hand, it’s time for you to reinforce your
mastery by teaching. If you ever want to see how smart you really are, try to
teach someone else.
Teaching ends up really teaching yourself. It teaches you
adaptability, patience and to see problems and solutions in totally new ways
because your students and mentees will undoubtedly ask you some questions you
don’t know the answers to at first.
How can that be? You are the master of this skill, after
all? Suddenly you realize we all have to keep learning and adapting to achieve
mastery on an ongoing basis. Teaching is the crucial third step that will
ensure you achieve and maintain maximum mastery.❤
Post a Comment