The fastest way to learn a new skill - Day 41
I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 10 years and if I had a dollar for every time I talked to someone who felt like they needed to get in shape before joining a gym I’d be rich!
It sounds so ludicrous and yet it’s so common. The whole point of a gym, trainer or coach is to help meet you where you are. If there is a barrier to entry then it’s not the right gym or trainer for you. And yet so many let this obstacle hold them back.
But I bet you do this too in your daily life.
Where in your life are you afraid to start because you don’t feel prepared or it’s new?
Unfortunately the older we get the more averse we are to trying new things. We let fear of failure or potential embarrassment hold us back. For some reason we feel like we are supposed to know how to do everything ahead of time.
The end result leads to inaction.
The simple fix? Adopt the white belt mentality = embrace the beginners mindset. Think about kids and how everything is new and unknown to them. They fall down and get right back up without thinking. We slowly lose this mentality as we get older and the only way to get it back is to make it a practice.
Regularly do and play new things to practice being a beginner.
Take a yoga class, cooking lessons, learn to play the guitar, take up writing, sign up for an art class, try a new sport, etc.
The more frequently you do new things the more open you are to the beginner mentality. And then when the really big stuff comes in life and you want to go after your dreams, start your own business, make a big change, etc. you will be ready.
I love this quote from James Clear “Every skill you have was once unknown to you. The human brain is a learning machine. Stick with it.”
That perspective is huge. No matter how skilled you are today at something, there was a time when you knew nothing on the subject.
So the fastest way to learn a new skill?
Adopt the White Belt Mentality
Take action, any action, immediately
